Kamen Rider Fourze: Cosmic Maelstrom
by Ten-Faced Paladin
Summary: The stars align and give birth to a brand new hero in the heart of Konoha Gakuen. Can Naruto overcome the fate people seem to assume he's destined for and instead make his own destiny among the stars or will he fall into the dark hole of despair and lose his precious people in the process?
1. Shining Star

I do not own Kamen Rider Fourze or Naruto. I am only writing this for fun and not for any kind of profit. So no one get it in their heads to sue me. To anyone who is interested, drop a line and let me know what you think.

**Kamen Rider Fourze: Cosmic Maelstrom**

**By Ten-Faced Paladin**

**Chapter 1: Shining Star**

Konohagakure.

The main city centre of Hinokuni Prefecture, it is inarguably one of the most economically prosperous places in all of the country. A modern day city with clean streets, good businesses, low crime rate, and always sporting the latest trends in technology, fashion, and other areas it is the place to be when one wants to make a good life for themselves. Led by the government with Hiruzen Sarutobi as the mayor, the city seemed to be looking at nothing but a bright future. It was often the mayor's ideal that the will of fire, the desire to strive forward and reach for one's future, was bright, alive, and well in the latest generation of people to live within the city limits.

This is the story of one such individual and how he will soon affect the world.

This story, like all stories circles around a central location. Konoha Gakuen. It was a school for students from prestigious families who want nothing but the best for their children. It boasted excellent facilities and a very good curriculum for students within its walls. Its athletics programs had gained very impressive reputations over the years. All of the prestigious families of Konohagakure sent their children there. It was a peaceful school which reportedly had no tolerance for delinquents, but…

"NARUTOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

…sometimes that fact was exaggerated.

Dashing through the hallways of the school was one of its many students, dodging his classmates left and right as he dashed as fast as he could. He wore black trousers and a white button up shirt, but unlike the clean uniforms his classmates would wear, he also wore a black coat which reached down to his feet and a black headband which had the Konoha Gakuen signature marked on it, a leaf with a spiral in it. He had wild blonde hair which spiked in all direction, energetic blue eyes, a huge grin on his mouth, and three whisker-like marks on each of his cheeks. His name? Naruto Uzumaki, the self-proclaimed #1 prankster in all of Konohagakure.

Chasing him was a man who looked to be in his late twenties to thirties. He wore the stereotypical teacher's outfit of gray pants, a simple white-collar shirt, and a brown jacket. He had brown hair tied up in a short ponytail and his most distinguishing feature was the scar which ran across the bridge of his nose. He was one of the many teachers of Konoha Gakuen, Iruka Umino.

"Hey comone on Iruka-sensei! No need to be a party pooper!" Naruto laughed as he ran from his teacher.

"Dammit Naruto you're not getting away this time!" Iruka shouted back, dodging a pair of female students. "You went too far! You defaced the Hokage Monument this time! Do you know just how much trouble you're in?"

"I can ball park it, but to get me in trouble you've got to catch me!" Naruto shot back.

Racing around a corner, Naruto spotted a stairwell and dashed to it. Rather than try to run down it though, he slipped onto the railing and slid down at a rapid pace, giving him a slight lead over Iruka who had tried running down the stairs the traditional way. Slipping off the rail at the bottom and taking a running start, Naruto spied the doorway which led outside of the school and to his freedom. Already tasting the sweet ramen-like liberty, he made a mad dash for the doors with the intent of claiming the credit of being able to pull off a god-like prank such as his…

…when he suddenly felt something catch on his leg, causing him to tumble over and do a high-speed face plant into the tiles of the floor. The laughter of the students who managed to catch the scene rang through the halls as Naruto groaned. Removing his face from the tiles, he looked ahead to see two polished black shoes. Looking up, Naruto spied an expanse of black pants leading to black suspenders over a white button-up shirt with rolled up sleeves. One hand was stuck on a pocket while the other was idly holding up an open copy of the hottest adult novel to hit the shelves, _Icha-Icha Paradise_. Lastyly, the face of the person was covered up by a flu mask while his gray and spiked hair covered his left eye. Who was he? None other than Kakashi Hatake, another one of the teachers of Konoha Gakuen.

"Kakashi-sensei," Naruto groaned. "How…?"

"We memorized all of your known escape routes," Kakashi chuckled with his visible eye closed as if he were smiling. "Good try though. This one is definitely going to go down in the yearbook, if not in the record books."

Iruka jogged up to the scene with a huff "Thanks Kakashi,"

"No problem," the gray-haired man shrugged as he began reading his book. "It made for an interesting day."

Looking down at the downed Naruto, Iruki spied a line of string sitting limply on the floor next to his feet. Kakashi had likely strung it up in anticipation of Naruto running in his direction after it was discovered that he had pulled his latest prank. It kind of spoke about the amount of mischief he would get into since the teachers actually took the time to learn about escape routes he had taken in the past and began staking them out whenever he had gotten into trouble.

"Naruto, what are we going to do with you?" Iruka sighed as he picked Naruto up by his jacket and began dragging him away. "Now you know we're going to have a talk with Ms. Tsunade."

Naruto instantly paled, "Nooo! Iruka-sensei! She'll kill me!"

"You brought this on yourself Naruto," Iruka replied dragging the teen away. "Now you'll have to face the concequences."

"NOOOOOOOOOOoooooooooooooo-!" Naruto's scream trailed off as he was dragged into the school.

"Kids," Kakashi chuckled, shaking his head as he left to continue reading his book.

* * *

Naruto found himself deposited in a chair outside of the principal's office. Fortunately, he wasn't alone either. Sitting in a chair next to him was one of his fellow students who was wearing the proper Kanoha Gakuen uniform, pants, white button shirt with short sleeves and the leaf insignia on the chest pocket. He had black hair which was tied into what would have been a ponytail but it was so short it looked more like a pineapple. He had narrow eyes and he looked like he was ready to fall asleep in his chair. His name was Shikamaru Nara, and he was Naruto's buddies. If there ever was a definition for the term slacker, it would be Shikamaru's name. The guy hated to do work and would much rather go out and nap under the sky than anything else. It drove his mom insane who nagged him to no end about it. Strangely though, the guy's mind was as sharp as a tack which managed to grab him high marks in class…when he would stay awake for them.

"Fell asleep in class again?" asked Naruto.

"Yup," Shikamaru nodded. "Saw what you did to the monument. Troublesome Naruto, real troublesome."

"Eh, the old coots needed some colour to them," the blonde shrugged.

"Two of those old coots are the principal's grandfather and granduncle," lazy boy shot back. "She's probably going to skin you alive for that one."

Naruto could only whimper and pray that his friend was wrong.

The door to the office opened and a pretty brunette, Shizune, stuck her head out to glance at the boys. She was Tsunade's secretary and probably the one who knew Tsunade best out of anyone in the entire school, the pair actually sharing an apartment together. Shizune was the niece of Tsunade's former lover Dan who had died. After which, it left Shizune an orphan and Tsunade adopted her in order to lay some of Dan's worries at his deathbed to rest.

How Naruto knew this? That would be explained later.

"Naruto-kun, you're expected," the brunette sighed at the blonde.

"Right," Naruto gulped. Standing up and heading like a man on the execution block, he walked into the office. Shizune took a seat at a desk right next to the door, her desk while Naruto walked up to a more ornate desk which was in front of a large window before taking a seat. At the other side of the desk was a woman who looked to be very pretty with long blonde hair done up in two ponytails. She had a blue diamond-like marking on her forehead and she wore a simple blouse with a jacket and matching skirt. One aspect which was noticeable about her though was her massive bust line which easily outdid any other woman in the school. This was the principal of Konoha Gakuen, Tsunade Senju.

Tsunade was not a woman to be crossed. She was tough, strict, and had a temper when you pressed her buttons right. She made sure things in Konoha Gakuen were run right and didn't exactly bow to some of the students who had rich parents whining about why their kids weren't the little geniuses that they assumed they would be. As tough as she was though, she had a softer side to her which she often didn't show on account of her position. A fun note was that unbeknownst to her, she was the winner of 'Konoha Gakuen's Hottest Woman' for the last three years running since female faculty members were added to the candidate list the student newspaper wrote up to promote the joke contest. What really mystified some people and got the ire of many girls and female teachers was that Tsunade was a woman around her fifties yet looked like she could pass for someone in her twenties. People of course claimed cosmetic surgery, but Tsunade would just say she was all natural.

Tsunade frowned as Naruto took her seat, resting her head on her hand propped up with her elbow, "This is the third time this week you've been here Naruto and this time you actually defaced our school's Hokage Monument. You are aware that by all accounts I could expel you for this?"

Naruto gulped, "Ah…"

Sighing, Tsunade let her hard principal persona drop for her more informal personality, "Naruto, why do you keep pulling stunts like this? You're a good kid and damn clever if you can pull off complicated crap like this and not get caught until it's done. If even half of that creativity was used for your studies you'd be on the honour roll by now."

"But all of the teachers talk about boring stuff Baa-chan!" Naruto grimaced. "I mean, what am I going to need astronomy for? Why do I need to know history?"

"You need to know so you'll have a firm base in case you want to deal with a career that has to do with those things," Tsunade frowned. "I know it can be boring sometimes but if you want to make a good life for yourself you're going to have to learn it. Konoha University only accepts the best and with your grades as they are, you won't even be able to sit the entrance exam."

"…" Naruto remained silent.

"Just think about what I said," Tsunade continued, looking down at a sheet of paper in front of her. "In the meantime, you'll be serving detention after school until the monument is cleaned. You'll be the one cleaning it. Am I clear?"

"Yes Baa-chan," Naruto sighed.

"Good," the bust woman nodded. "Now get going. You're already late for class."

Nodding, Naruto got up from the chair and headed out of the office. Shizune watched him go with a slight sad frown on her face. Once he stepped outside, the brunette sighed and shook her head, "I wished we could help Naruto-kun out."

"I wish we could too, but we can't" Tsunade replied, signing her paperwork.

"But you're his godmother!" Shizune insisted. "That has to count for something!"

"Legally, yes. But remember how much crap I'm getting for not expelling him for some of his stunts?" asked the blonde with a frown. "You and I already have to tighten our belts as it is. We can't afford another person along with the other debts I have."

"Something which may not be happening if _someone_ could tell when to call it a night," Shizune frowned pointedly at her employer.

Tsunade flushed slightly and scratched her cheek. Tsunade, while a fine principal, was also someone who loved to gamble and did it often. Unfortunately, she wasn't very good at it and almost always lost. She'd make a big prize now and then, but her debts would eat up whatever she won and she'd start up all over again swearing she'd hit the big one soon. Her lack of skills were so well known everyone called her The Legendary Sucker.

* * *

Inside the classroom of 2-S, the students were going through their literature lessons with Kakashi-sensei who was teaching them about their current project, The Great Gatsby. Of course, Kakashi-sensei was never without his Icha-Icha and would randomly come to class for free study periods and simply read his adult novel at a free desk while everyone else went about their class time.

At the back of the classroom was a student who like Naruto, would help affect the world

Her name was Hinata Hyuuga, heiress of the prestigious Hyuuga family the richest family in Konohagakure. She had fair features and long ebony hair which made her appear quite pretty. One of her most distinguishing features was her pupil-less lavender eyes which was a common trait in all Hyuuga family members. While she was the heiress of one of the social elite, Hinata was painfully shy and didn't like to stand out too much. Unfortunately, being from a rich family and being pretty made her the target of many boys' attention. Her shy nature in avoiding them though gave her a reputation of being stand-offish though and she only had a few friends in the entire school. However, there was one aspect about Hinata that she thought that was a closely kept secret.

The door to the classroom opened.

Hinata glanced up and her face immediately turned rosy as she spied Naruto enter the classroom with a grin and a wave. Since she had first saw Naruto in action, she had developed a powerful crush on him. He was outgoing, cheerful, friendly, and unafraid of how other people viewed him. His courage and friendly nature was so appealing to her and she couldn't help but feel strongly for him. However, she was just so shy she couldn't bring herself to confess to him. She was too afraid what her father might do if she found out she was trying to go out with the school delinquent. Of course, everyone who knew her could tell that she was crushing on the knucklehead, everyone but Naruto himself.

The blonde took his seat and class continued as Kakakshi went on with his lesson, "Okay Naruto, since you were so kind to join us perhaps you can give us a basic rundown on the characters Gatsby?"

"Um," Naruto blinked. "He was great?"

Chuckles came from the class from the joke. Hinata herself had to stifle an onset of giggles. It was all good-natured laughing since Naruto knew the right moments to interject a joke during any situation. Even kakashi seemed to have a small laugh at the comment before he got serious, "To many I suppose. But for the sake of your participation mark maybe you could give me a serious answer?"

"Um...okay…uh…" Naruto gulped. "He…uh…fought in the world war and uh…fell in love with that married lady in the book…and then uh…went to find her and lied about hitting a woman with a car, right? Then her husband shot him."

Kakashi nodded and looked back to the board, "Not a perfect answer, but enough to show you've been paying attention I suppose."

"Colour me shocked dobe!" one student shouted from the rows.

"Bite me!" Naruto snapped back.

"Simmer down," Kakashi warned, glancing back before turning to continued his chalkboard writings. "Okay, as I was saying before we were interrupted…"

* * *

The final bell of the day eventually rang and Hinata prepared to leave for home. Glancing at her watch, she found that she still had a little time before the assigned car which was to pick her up was supposed to arrive. Deciding to do something, she went off to explored the school and see what her friends were up.

"Sakura-san should be in the library," Hinata commented to herself as she hefted her bag over her shoulder. "Maybe we can catch up a little."

Walking through the halls of the first floor, her destination was the stairs since the library was on the second floor. Glancing to the windows to see what may be outside into the school courtyard, she spotted what was known as the Hokage Monument. It was a memorial of the previous four principals of Konoha Gakuen with the first two having founded the school. Normally the statues were made of bronze, but today they were painted with a veritable rainbow of colours making them look like they had come out of a hippie's daydream. Next to them, Naruto was spraying the statue with a hose, attempting to wash of the paint off and was making a halfway decent job of it so far.

"Good thing the paint didn't dry yet," Naruto muttered. "Next time I'm using water-based paint."

Hinata moved to a door which led out to the courtyard and simply decided to watch Naruto work. Despite having vandalized what was considered an important monument, Naruto didn't seem to have done it any out of sense of maliciousness. He had simply done it to break the tedium of day to day activity. It certainly made the day exciting as everyone talked about what had happened.

"Ah, I guess these old guys needed a washing down anyway," Naruto continued to talk to himself as he pressed his thumb over the end of the hose for more pressure to spray out some of the gaps in the clothes of Hiruzen Sarutobi, the third principal since the school had been founded.

'_Naruto-kun,_' Hinata smiled as she watched the blonde boy work, completely unrepentant of what he had done.

"_Why do you always have to moon over that moron?-!"_ a warped voice sudden spoke up, breaking Hinata out of her crush-induced thoughts.

Turning, Hinata spied what looked like a large void of emptiness approaching her from down the hall. In the midst of it all, several bright lights which looked like stars appeared in the void taking the form of what she could really call a constellation. The void pulsed as the lights drew back into something before vanishing.

And from the void, a monster appeared.

It was a bulky creature with a large muscular torso which looked like it could have doubled as armour since it looked like it was mad of bronze. The shoulders were large and rounded with muscular arms extending from them with red bracers. At the waist the creature wore a loincloth and its bronze metalliz legs ended in what looked like stone boots. Finally, it's face looked like it was made of stone which was styiled into curly hair with bright red gemstone eyes and a beard which appeared to be made of stone carved into jagged spikes which covered the rest of the face. Howeverm it had a strange design all across its body. On each shoulder was a blue gemstone which had a silver line connecting them across its collarbone with more lines connecting to two more gemstones on its waist. From there, the lines ran across in a diamond shape between three gemstones on its loincloth while several gemstones on its legs were connected by silver lines to the loincloth with five on the right leg and three on the left. The arms also had uneven gemstones connected by silver lines on the shoulders. The three on the right arm reached down to the elbow while the five on the left reached down to its wrist.

"Ah…ah…ah…" Hinata gaped, watched the hulking monster approach her.

"_I always wondered just why was it that you gave so much attention to that delinquent when you had someone like ME just waiting for you to open your eyes!_" the monster grunted as it continued to approach. "_Well, since you aren't going to open them, I guess I'll make you see what's been waiting for you!_"

That was all Hinata needed, "KYAAAAHHHHH!"

Hinata quickly began running for her life with the monster chasing her in close pursuit. As it began going by the door through a stream of water shot through the opening and splashed into the monster's face and made it choke and splutter as it tried to block the offending stream of liquid.

Hinata ran around a corner and hid, watching to see if the monster would try to follow her.

"Hey freak! Leave the girl alone!" she heard Narto shout loudly.

"_RAGH!_" the monster growled, stomping througn the doorway where Naruto was trying use the stream of water to…well, not fight it but certainly irritate it. "_I was going to deal with you later, but why waste the opportunity?_"

"Yeah, sure, that's what they all say," Naruto grinned as he tossed the hose away.

Bellowing, the monster charged at Naruto with one of its massive fists raised before punching at him. Naruto ducked away from the blow, but he felt the displaced air from the attack press against his back as he lunged forward to punch the thing in the chest. Rather than a grunt being heard by the monster as the air left it's lungs, a crack sounded from Naruto's fist.

"OW! SONOVA-!" Naruto cussed as he backed away from the monster. "What the hell are you made of?-!"

"_Why should I tell you? You'll be dead in a second!_" the monster roared as it charged again.

The monster attempted to pound Naruto into the dirt, but the blonde boy seemed to simply jump and leap out of the way of the attacks. Hinata could only watch as her crushed seemed to avoid certain death as each monstrous punch smashed into the dirt and left sizable craters in their wake. She practiced the Hyuuga style of martial arts at home so she knew battles when she saw them, but it seemed like Naruto was brawling out of pure instinct, somehow known when and where to dodge the attack to bring the maximum amount of effort out of the monster as it tried to hit him. Of course, his dodging technique was incredibly sloppy, making Hinata think that he had absolutely no training or had simply watched other martial artists fight.

Naruto grinned as he dove around the hulking monster and aimed another punch for the base of its neck. It just had to have a soft spot there! He leaped into the air to reach the monster's neck, but the monster turned quickly as it followed Naruto's movement and grabbed him by the front of his jacket.

"Yow! Hey, leggo!" Naruto grunted, trying to force the monster to release him.

"_Why you?_" asked the monster. "_What is it about you that got her attention where I couldn't?-!_"

"Huh?" Naruto blinked, looking confused.

"_And you don't even notice it! EUGH!_" the monster growled. "_Looking at you makes me sick!_" Rearing its arm back, the monster hurled Naruto through the air and clear across the courtyar before he smashed through one of the windows and impacted against the opposite wall before dropping to the ground.

"NARUTO-KUN!" Hinata screamed, standing up.

The monster turned towards her as if it had been slapped by her scream, "_You still pine for him? I just proved to you how worthless he was and you still scream for him?-!_" the ruby red eyes began to flash. "_RAAAAGH! IF YOU WON'T LEAVE HIM THEN I'LL JUST TAKE YOU!_"

The beast began charging at Hinata again, making the young heiress run for her life once again. Dashing around the hallways circling the courtyard, Hinata tried to put some distance between herself and her pursuer. The smashing noise which sounded like an explosion indicated that the kaijin hadn't bothered to use the door. Turning a corner, she spied Naruto on the ground slowly recovering. Dashing over to him, she grabbed him by the shoulder and shook him.

"Naruto-kun, you have to get up! We've got to run!" she pleaded, for once not bitterly shy about being around Naruto.

"Ugh…cheap shot…" the blonde grunted, shaking his head. Looking up, he blinked as he looked into Hinata's lavender eyes. "Uh…Hinata?"

"Hurry! We have to run!" Hinata pleaded, pulling on Naruto's shoulder to help him stand up.

Both students on their feet again, ran for their lives as they heard the large monster smashing its way through the halls after them. After turning a few corners, they spied an exit and quickly ran for it. Naruto led the charge and jammed his shoulder into the door and slammed it open, allowing himself and Hinata to exit into the open air of the school track field.

"W-w-we have to hide!" Hinata trembled, some of the impact of the situation heading down on her.

"Right!" Naruto agreed. He spotted the school's supply shed. It was a sizable building which could fit a classroom, but only used for storage. Not only for sports supplies though. Sometimes surplus school items like lockers, desks, or chairs ended up there when there was no other place for them on account of all of the classrooms being filled. "This way! It's one of my escape routes!"

Taking Hinata's hand, the pair ran for the storage shed. Reaching it, they heard the door to the school behind them be smashed open and the monster continued to follow them. Reaching the door to the supply shed, Naruto yanked the door open and hustled Hinata inside before following and shutting the door. Inside the shed was a number of lockers and desks along with tumbling mats, sacks of sports balls, and some spare equipment for students who forgot to bring some sports days.

"Wh-where are we s-supposed to hide?" asked Hinata timidly.

"We don't," Naruto answered as he bgean tossing the desks and chairs out of the way. "We climb out the back window. I call it the Fake Out. The teachers think I hid in here after pulling a prank when I actually climbed out the window and escaped.

Reaching the far wall, Naruto reached the window to slide it open, but his heart sank when he saw a padlock keeping the window shut, "Oh crap. One of the teachers must have figured this one out! They locked it and I don't have the key!"

"Eep!" Hinata gulped, growing pale. "S-s-so what do we d-d-do?"

"Gonna have to hide," Naruto frowned. Looking around, he spied a row of lockers which were lined up against the wall. "The lockers! Go!"

Clearing a path through the supplies, Naruto reached one of the lockers which had a big sticker of a kind of rocket with a pair of red eyes and a black face with antennae on the forhead. Grabbing the handle, he yanked the door open in preparation of giving Hinata a place to hide when instead of the back of the locker…

…he found a tunnel of light.

"What the…?" he gasped.

"Ah?" Hinata gaped, coming up behind Naruto to see the bright tunnel. "Wh-what is it?"

"Dunno," Naruto blinked, but then remembered what they were running from. "But I'd take it over the monster that's coming after us! Let's move!"

With a gentle nudge, Hinata ducked into the tunnel of light and Naruto followed after her with the locker door shutting after them.

The light almost blinded the pair, but they kept moving to try and put some distance between themselves and the monster that was hunting them. As they moved closer to wherever the tunnel ended, a doorway in front of them opened like something out of a sci-fi show. Naruto and Hinata passed through the doorway and collapsed onto what felt like a metal floor. Turning to see the doorway they had come from, Naruto spotted a panel next to it with a green button and a red button with the green one lit up. Scrambling to the panel, Naruto hit the red button, making it light up and causing the doorway to slide shut.

"Ha! I'd like to see you get through that!" Naruto grinned, slapping the metal door. Dropping onto his back on the floor, he let out a laughing sigh of relief. "Whew! Are we in luck or what?"

"N-Naruto-kun…"

"Hm?" Naruto blinked, turning to see what Hinata was talking about.

He blinked as he realized that they were in what looked like for all intents and purposes a space station common room. Everything looked extremely high tech and there were several more metal doors leading to other stations while a circular table was in the middle of the room. It looked exactly like Naruto had seen about space stations and such he had read about in books. However, Hinata's gaze wasn't on any of the equipment, but on the sole window looking outside.

Where the earth hung in the dark sky over the gray expanse of what Naruto recognised as the surface of the moon.

"No…way…" he gasped.

"We're…we're in…space," Hinata breathed. "We're on the moon!"

"Oh man!" Naruto gasped, running up to the window so he could see everything he could through the glass. "Those guys in the astronomy club were right! Space is awesome, dattebayo!"

"Sugoi," Hinata admired.

BREET! BREET! BREET!

Alarms suddenly sounded off, snapping Naruto and Hinata out of their awe as red lights in the walls began to sound off. Both of them were worried that they had inadvertently set off some kind of security system which was about to disintegrate them or something. Hinata whimpered and stood closer to Naruto who had stepped forward to shield her from whatever might come.

"ATTENTION! ZODIARTS SIGNATURE DETECTED NEAR ENTRY PORTAL! SHUTTING DOWN PORTAL FOR SAFETY MEASURES! COMPUTER TECHNICIAN PLEASE REPORT TO OBSERVATION ROOM!"

A hissing noise alerted Naruto and Hinata to movement ans they turned to see that a door had opened. Curious, they moved to the room in questions to find several monitors and keyboards depicting technology and suits of some sort. However, one of the monitors revealed the inside of the storage room where the monster that had been chasing them was trashing everything. Curious, the two students found some seats in the provided chairs in front of the computers.

"_Where are you?-!_" the monster demanded, yanking open all of the lockers before trashing everything in the room to try and find out where the pair had gone. "_You can't hide from me!_"

"Okay, just what is that thing anyway?" asked Naruto, grimacing at the destruction. "Just what is its beef with us?"

"I-I don't know," Hinata trembled, frightened by the rage of the thing. Glancing at the screen, she saw an icon in the corner which was flashing. Curious, and hoping that it might help them she took control of the mouse connected to the monitor and clocked on the icon. The screen was imeediately segmented into dozens of green squares. All of the squares which the monster occupied were highlighted while zooming in on the creature itself.

_Scanning subject._

…

…

…

_Scan complete._

_Subject: Heracles Zodiarts_

_Model #: 09_

_Power Levels: Critical_

_Last One: Dormant_

"Zodiarts?" Naruto blinked as he and Hinata read the readout the computer made of the monster. "What the heck is that?"

"I don't know," Hinata frowned. Moving the mouse icon, she highlighted the word Zodiart and clicked on it. The screen of the rampaging monster was replaced with a data screen filled with words and diagrams of what looked like a handheld clicker with a button on top and wire-like designs around its side.

"It says here that Zodiarts are actually…people?-!" Hinata gasped.

"Wait, that thing is human?-!" Naruto gaped.

"Yes," Hinata nodded, reading over the data. "Zodiarts are humans who are infused with something called…Cosmic Energy. A person needs to have something called a Zodiarts Switch to become one. When they activate it, the Cosmic Energy forms around them and transforms them into that monster," she read. "All of the Zodiarts seem to derive their abilities and forms from constellations. So that means no two are going to be the same."

"Is there any way to stop them?" asked Naruto, looking over Hinata's shoulder. The close proximity made the girl blush as she tried to concentrate on what she was being asked.

"U-um…maybe. Hold on," Tapping a few keys, she questioned the computers about any possible countermeasures which could stop a Zodiart. After a moment, the screen turned blank and static filled it up. "Ah! Oh no!"

"What? What is it?" asked NAruto, grimacing as he figured that something went wrong. "What happened?"

"I don't know!" Hinata cried, tapping a few keys. "I just asked if there was any means to counter Zodiarts and this happened!"

"_BZZZZRT! The date is BZZZRT! My name is Minato BZZZRTT! I am a scientist working for the OSTO on the development and use of Cosmic Energy. We had initially developed a means of enhanced human power and dubbed it the Zodiarts Program_." The screen flashed as the image of a blonde man with blue eyes in a scientist uniform appeared on the screen, but many of his features were hard to discern because of the low resolution. "_Because of the catastrophic potential of the Zodiarts in the wrong hands, I ordered the program shut down. However, a member of the team betrayed us and stole all of the Zodiarts Switches we developed before fleeing back to Earth. The majority of the Lunar Base as been destroyed save for the Rabbit Hutch where we did our main observation, testing, and Switch construction. After –BRRZT- ran off, destroyed the majority of the base and left us to die, we who survived began developing a countermeasure to the Zodiarts which could be put into effect once rescue comes. It's a device which harnesses the Cosmic Energy in the forms of armour and weapons rather than infusing the body with it. It should be the perfect countermeasure to the Zodiarts_."

"Okay…" Naruto nodded, sounding impatient. "But where is it? How do we use it?"

"_If you're watching this, then you have come specifically to find a means of countering the Zodiarts. The video file you are watching right now is releasing a high sound which should activate the secret chamber which is hiding the countermeasure. We call it the Fourze Driver. Instructions for it should be with it_."

Almost as if on cue, another hissing noise sounded off, catching Naruto and Hinata's attention. Turning to the source, they saw a hidden chamber in the nearby workbench open up before a tray rose up to reveal which looked like a large buckle made of a sky blue space-age material. The centre had some kind of black screen while on either side were two slots made for something with red switches underneath each slot. On the far right was a silver handle which looked like it may activate some kind of ignition.

Next to the bench a hidden wall panel opened to reveal a black boared willed with forty slots, each marked with a number. However, only the first eight were filled with what appeared to be coloured switches.

"I suppose…that's it," Hinata gulped.

"Okay!" Naruto nodded. Striding forward, he grabbed the Fourze Driver and found that beneath it was a small pile of papers which served as the machine's instruction manual. Hinata likewise stood up and reached for the instructions to see how to use the machine. "So, any idea how to use this thing?"

"Hmm," Hinata pondered, flipping through the papers. Luckily there were crude diagrams to help describe the function of the device. It was honestly a record for her to be around Naruto this long without getting flustered, but the severity of the situation wasn't lost on her and it helped make sure she kept her mind on the situation rather than her crush. "It says here we need to use the Astro Switches to prime the system."

"Astro Switches?" Naruto blinked. He looked to the panel with the eight switches on it. "You mean these things with the numbers on them?"

"Yes," Hinata nodded, looking through the papers. "The manual suggests using the switches marked one, two, three, and four."

"Gotcha," Naruto nodded. Looking to the eight switches, he grabbed the four in question from their slots. Bringing them to the Driver, he stopped and looked back to Hinata, "Um, which one goes where?""

"Let to right in ascending order," the Hyuuga heiress answered. "Right," the blonde nodded. He then stuck the switches into their proper slots. "What about the other ones?"

"Ummm," Hinata replied, flipping through the papers until she found a page depicting the functions of the other switches. "You can bring two extra switches with you since the belt has a sub-space pocket option."

"Sub-space what?" Naruto blinked, looking up at the girl. The sight of Naruto looking directly at her made Hinata flush and struggle to get an answer out, but then dawning apprehension came to the blonde's eyes. "Oh wait, is it like hammer space like anime girls have when they bring out huge hammers to whack guys with?"

Hinata blinked. "Um…yes?"

"Okay, I get it now! Cool!" Naruto nodded. "So which of the others should I bring?"

"I-I think number seven and number six, just to be safe" Hinata replied. Naruto nodded and grabbed the switches before sticking them into his pocket. "N-Naruto-kun, are you sure you should be doing this?"

"You heard the guy on the computer, these Zodiarts things are way too dangerous," Naruto frowned. "Do you honestly think that the police or campus security stand a chance? This Fourze Driver is the only thing that can stop them. I've got to do this or else a lot of people are going to get hurt."

Hinata felt her heart skip a beat as she saw once again one of the things which made Naruto so special in her mind. A lot of people called him a delinquent, but that was only because he got into trouble a lot. Not once had Naruto pulled his pranks out of any sort of maliciousness. He pulled them for a simple amusement factor and never did anyone get hurt. Sure some property was vandalized in the process but all of it was easily fixed and never permanent. Naruto's sense of right and wrong was in fact very strong would never permit him to hurt others or let others be hurt.

"O-o-okay," Hinata stuttered, feeling like her crush was being born all over again.

"Good," Naruto nodded. "Is that thing still out there?"

Hinata stiffly turned back to the computer, which had the recorded video descending into static again. Closing it down, she managed to figure out how to bring up the images of the supply room where Heracles Zodiarts had been rampaging. Much to her relief, the monster was gone even if the rest of the room had been trashed.

"He's gone," she reported.

"Good," Naruto nodded. "You stay here where it's safe. That thing's been freaking you out even if you were here. You've been stuttering and getting flushed ever since we got here." As Naruto turned away, Hinata flushed more at having been called out on her nervousness.

Naruto exited the control room and headed back to the door which led back to Earth. Slapping the green button, the door opened to reveal the tunnel of light once again. Steeling himself, Naruto walked forward through the tunnel of light and back to the locker which he and Hinata had escaped from the Zodiarts. Stepping out into the supply room he saw that the damage was indeed severe. Whoever the Zodiarts was he had been angry and destroyed everything except for a few items. Lucky the lockers hadn't been one of them or else he and Hinata would have been trapped on the moon.

"I'd better not get blamed for this," Naruto muttered. A few of the teachers, like Mizuki-sensei, would have been all too happy to blame him for the mess and petition Tsunade to expel him on grounds of malicious destruction of property.

Exiting from the supply room, Naruto tried to spy anything funny going on. He knew Zodiarts were actually people so for all he knew the guy using the Switch had changed back to normal and was hidden in plain sight.

'_Okay, play it cool and see if you can't find this jerk,_' Naruto thought to himself, sticking his hands in his pockets and walking towards the school. If the thing was hunting Hinata like he thought then he probably wasn't going to give up and go home just yet. If he was willing to turn himself into a monster for the sake of nabbing her, then he definitely wasn't going to give up.

Naruto travelled thought he school to try and see if he could get any clues, but it wasn't easy. He could already see where the monster had been since it had destroyed portions of the walls in its attempts to chase him and Hinata. The police were going to have to get involved unless the guy who did it was caught. Naruto feared that he would be blamed for the destruction. He had been one of the people at the school after hours and he had a history of bad behaviour. A few people would feel safe in blaming him.

"Come on pal, where are you?" Naruto frowned as he walked around the side of the school.

Coming out to the front of the school, Naruto spied one of his fellow students waiting at the gates. Normally it was nothing new, but Naruto's danger senses were going off like crazy. Having gotten into more than his fair share of fights over the years, the blonde boy developed a sense of people's intentions towards him. It sort of helped him determine if thugs on the streets were after him or teachers wanted a word with him. Right now, he senses were telling him that the boy at the gates of the school wished nothing but death on him.

The student was dressed in the usual Konoha Uniform and his features were clear, clean, and well-groomed. Aside from the sheer animosity coming off of him, he just gave off the feeling of 'rich kid' that many of the students in the school were in possession of. Obviously he was somebody that had a lot of cash in his pocket and thought he was a big deal because of it.

Naruto ran into guys like him at least once a day and always did something to piss them off without even trying.

"About time you showed up coward!" the boy snapped. "I was wondering when you'd get the guts to try and leave the school."

"Dude, what's your beef with me?" asked Naruto. He didn't bother to try and play stupid "Just who the heck are you?"

"My name is Tomi Kakisonji!" the boy snapped. "And my 'beef' with you as you put it, is the fact that a veritable princess such as Hinata Hyuuga is giving her attention to an undeserving punk like you!"

"…what?" Naruto blinked. This guy was ticked at Naruto because Hinata paid more attention to the blonde than the spoiled rich kid? Naruto and Hinata were in the same freaking class! Sure, they never seemed to talk much but he'd spotted her glancing his way now and then. Of course he'd garner more attention from her than some guy froma different class.

"Flowers, chocolates, poetry, I gave her everything a girl would want in a potential suitor!" Tomi growled. "Despite all this, she continued to turn me down in favour of paying attention to you! Why? What made you so damn special?"

Naruto scratched his cheek, "Maybe she just didn't want a boyfriend?"

"UGH!" Tomi snarled, "Even now you don't get how lucky you are! I'm sick of you bumbling along with Hinata wasting her attention on you! I'm going to destroy you and show her that there is no one more perfect for her than me!"

Naruto frowned and reached into his jacket. This rant was sounding familiar and his instincts were telling him that he had just found the Zodiarts that had been hunting for him and Hinata. His guess had been proven right when Tomi revealed a switch in his hand which was black with gold designs on the sides. The top was domed and coloured silver with a red button coming out of the top.

"Don't do it man!" Naruto called. "That thing will mess you up!"

"Bah! Words of an idiot!" Tomi shouted back. "An idiot who is unworthy of the graces that someone superior to him is showing him! This power will help me make Hinata see the error of her ways!"

As if in response to his spoiled and somewhat delusional rant, the Zodiarts Switch in his hand flashed with dark energy which looked a little like an empty void of space. The gold designs on the side vanished as spikes emerged from the casing. The domed top took on the form of a bloodshot eye while the switch moved closer to the rim of the dome, making it look like an eye on top of the switch. More shocking, it spoke! "**Last One!**"

"Huh?" Naruto blinked.

Tomi pressed his thumb into the switch and suddenly a black void enveloped his body. From it, several bright lights which took the form of the constellation Heracles appeared. From the middle of the void, Tomi's body fell out, covered in a web-like substance. Meanwhile, the orbs of light flew into the void and became the Heracles Zodiart, but this time he was holding what looked like a giant sword made of stone.

"Aw crap!" Naruto cursed.

"_**Now I'll kill you and take what's mine!**_" the Zoidarts bellowed as it began running at him.

The Zodiarts charged at Naruto with its weapon raised, filled with lethal intent. The blonde boy dove out of the way as the sword smashed into the ground, creating a crater three times the size of the edge of the blade. Getting to his feet, Naruto reacged into his jacket and pulled out the Fourze Driver. Bringing it to his waist, he felt a belt wrap around him and secure the object into place. Reaching to the device, he flipped the four red switches, hearing some kind of noise like a rocket engine coming to life while the screen in the centre of the belt lit up with the image of an armoured being with a blue torso and red limbs. Standing up across from the Zodiarts, he clenched his left fist in front of him while his right hand grabbed the handle on the side of the Driver.

"**THREE…**"

"**TWO…**"

"**ONE…**"

"Henshin!" Naruto called out loudly, pressing the handle forward into its drive position. A ring of metal appeared in a flash of light around his wait before it raised into the air and showed Naruto with white light. Wireframe lines appeared over Naruto, covering him with a suit of armour which solidified into an actual suit. Once the energy had formed completely, the ring vanished and the light died down to reveal Naruto within his complete suit.

The entre suit was white and appeared to me made of a material which had wire mesh in it, making it look like a space suit of some sort. The torso had orange lines running down the sides with black on the shoulders. The shoulders themselves were silver on the front with black on the rest. His arms and legs were covered with white mechanical gauntlets each with their own decoration. His right arm was adorned with an orange circle, right leg with a blue x, left leg with a yellow triangle, and his left arm with a black square. Finally his head was covered in a white helmet which was pointed with a black face, large orange eyes, short silver antennae with a green stone were on the forehead. At the sides on the jaw line were small wings like off a space ship. On his back was a small propulsion pack, like a rocket exhaust.

Naruto Uzumaki had become Fourze!

"_**What?-!**_" the Zodiarts gasped.

"Alright!" Fourze cheered. Gripping his fists in front of his face, he spread them out above his head like a cheer. "SPACE IS AWESOME, DATTEBAYO!"

His cheer for the awesome space tech done, Fourze turned his attention to the Zodiarts that had intended to kill him. Clenching his fists, he charged at his opponent, unafraid for anything that may come. The Heracles Zodiarts wasn't idle as it swung wide at him with its blade, but Fourze stuck with his instincts and ducked under the blow before slamming his fist into the beast's stomach. This time, there was a grunt as air was forced from the Zodiarts' lungs while the strength of the blow knocked it back several paces.

"_**You…you hurt me!**_" it gasped out in shock. "_**Nothing should be able to hurt me like this!**_"

"News flash jerk! I'm the new anti-Zodiarts on campus!" Fourze boasted. He raised his fist and pointed his thumb down on the ground. "And you are going down!"

Fourze charged again and kicked the Zodiarts in the shoulder knocking it back several more steps. Now that his suit was evening the playing field, Fourze was finding that strength was the only thing that the Zodiart had going for it. It didn't seem to know how to fight beyond punching and kicking, didn't seem to have any experience, and didn't know any set style either. The white armoured teen may not have had training either, but he had a lot of experience in fighting punks who tried to cause trouble near his school and he was putting every ounce of it into fighting this monster.

"HI-YAH!" Fourze bellowed, slugging the Heracles Zodiarts in the face and knocking it away. "Okay, now hand over the Switch and-!"

*RING-RING! RING-RING!*

"Huh?" Fourze looked down to his belt where he heard the sound coming from and he spotted the number 4 switch on the belt had a blinking light. Confused, and unsure of what to do, he touched the item in question and flipped the switch for it.

"_**RA-DAR-ON!**_"

An orb of gray energy appeared over Fourze's left arm before it generated wireframe images of machine parts which attached to the black square section. The pieces then solidified into what appeared to be an arm-mounted radar dish. The arm bracket even had a viewing screen which lit up to reveal Hinata's face. "_Naruto-kun!_"

"Hinata? Is that you?" Fourze blinked, looking at the screen.

"_Yes it is!_" the girl nodded. "_When you activated the suit all of these monitors activated and began tracking your status. I managed to figure out how to contact you from here!_"

"Hey, cool!" Fourze nodded. He was interrupted slightly when the Heracles Zodiarts charged at him, screaming about 'his Hinata' again before Fourze dodged him like a matador before kicking his butt literally, sending him sprawling. "Hey Hinata, something weird happened with this guy. When he used his switch, it changed. Then it said the words 'last one' before he transformed, but his real body fell out all covered with webs or something. Is that normal?"

"_Let me check,_" Hinata answered before her image could be seen turning to a monitor. After a moment, which Fourze had since the Zodiarts' muscles were keeping it from getting up too quickly, Hinata gasped in shock. "_This is bad Naruto-kun! The Switch is now in its Last One phase. It means that the Switch has absorbed all of the Cosmic Power it can and can now manifest all of its powers. The host's consciousness is now trapped inside of the Zodiarts body while his true form is left in a stasis-like state. He's stuck that way now!_ "

"Crap," Fourze growled, turning to see the Heracles Zodiarts back on its feet. "Any way to change him back?"

"_Well, yes but it requires a Limit Break from your Fourze Driver to strike exactly where the Switch is inside of the Zodiarts body._" Hinata reported.

"How do I do that?" Fourze cried, getting ready to fight as the Zodiarts raised its sword.

"_Turn off the Radar Module and replace the Switch with the Camera Switch! Number 6!_" Hinata replied.

"Gotcha!" Fouze nodded. Reaching to his belt, he turned off Switch 4 which caused the machine on his left arm to vanish. Reaching behind his back, Fourze felt his hand enter some kind of weird pocket before grabbing something solid. Bringing his hand back, he found himself holding Switch 6. Nodding, he removed the 4th Switch and placed it in the void while slipping #6 into place, making the belt speak, "_Camera!_" Switch secured, Fourze flipped it on.

"_**CAM-ER-A-ON!**_" the belt announced before another orb of light appeared over Fourze's left arm and formed an arm-mounted machine which had a powerful photographic lens.

The Heracles Zodiarts bellowed and charged again, using Naruto's distraction with his equipment against him. The Armored teen looked up only to be struck with several hundred pounds of angry Kaijin. The Zodiarts pushed him along before they both crashed into the side of the school building, cratering the wall.

"_**Die, die, die, die, die!**_" the Zodiarts bellowed, trying to crush Fourze with his weight.

"HRG! OW! Leggo you creep!" Fourze shouted. Struglling, he brought his free arm down to his belt where the other three switches were. He had to have something useful to help him! His fingers found one of the switches and with no other recourse, pressed it.

"_**RO-CKET-ON!**_"

An orange orb appeared over Fourze's right arm before forming into a large orange rocket which completely covered his right arm. The afterburners of the rocket then came to life and with so much force both Fourze and the Zodiarts were propelled straight into the sky.

"WOOOOOOAAAAHHH!"

"_**AUUUUUUUUUUUGH!**_"

The pair flew, swerved, ducked, and spiralled through the air as Fourze had absolutely no control over his own weapon at the moment. One particularly gusty spin managed to dislodge the Zodiarts and send it crashing down to the ground below, in the middle of the track field. Panicking, Fourze managed get his hands on Switch #1 and turn it off, causing the rocket to vanish. Gravity took hold and sent the armored teen plummeting, but instead of going splat the pack on his back began shooting air out of its vents which slowed down the fall considerable. Fourze landed on the ground at a crouch before standing up, "Whew. Thought I was a goner there for a while."

"_**Ow…**_"

Fourze turned to spy the Heracles Zodiarts pulling itself out of the small crater it formed with his body. Not one to miss an opportunity, Fourze raised his Camera Module and pointed its lens at the Zodiarts. The machine quickly came to life and began making beeping noises as it took in data about the kaijin and its abilities. When it was completed, it chimed to alert its wielder to the face.

"Okay, now to see what Hinata says," Fourze nodded. Switching off the Camera Switch, he popped it out to swap for the Radar Switch.

"_Radar!_"

*CLICK!*

"_**RA-DAR-ON!**_"

The Radar Module appeared once again and with it came the image of Hinata's face, "Hinata, did you manage to find out where the Switch is?"

"_I did Naruto-kun!_" Hinata reported. "_It's in the chest cavity where his heart is supposed to be. But there's a problem!_"

"What? Another one?" Fourze groaned. "What is it?"

"_When a Zodiarts is in its Last One stage, it's body is so full of Cosmic Energy it's like a living bomb!_" Hinata explained. "_If you destroy it at the school, the explosion will be so big we'd be lucky to only lose the entire track, if not a good portion of the school! You need to get it someplace wide open!_"

Fourze frowned behind his helmet, but then got an idea, "Or up in the air." Before Hinata could ask what Fourze was talking about, he switched off the Radar Switch and went for the Rocket Switch again. "_**RO-CKET-ON!**_"

The Rocket Module appeared and burst to life a second time. This time, Fourze aimed it properly and was sent hurtling towards the groaning Zodiarts. Adjusting his flight, the Rider dipped low and almost scraped the ground before he rose back up, catching the Zodiarts in the chest with the nose of the rocket. Catching his prey, Fourze turned his arm up as both Rider and kaijin sailed into the air. The city below soon became like a patchwork blob of gray and green as they soared past the clouds and even levels most airplanes would fly at. The sky began to darken as they reached the upper parts of the atmosphere, but both of them seemed fine in terms of breathing. Seeing he was high enough, Fourze shook his arm and dislodged the Heracles Zodiarts from it, letting it begin its long fall back to Earth.

Rising higher, Fourze reached to his belt and grabbed Switch #3, giving it a twist, "_**DRILL-ON!**_"

A yellow orb appeared over Fourze's left leg before becoming encased in yellow machinery with a large steel drill where his foot should have been. The machine instantly came to life and spun with rapid speeds. Furze then readjusted his flight pattern and began flying back down with the drill pointed at the Zodiart. Using his free hand, he gripped the lever on the right and gave it another tug to activate it.

"_**ROCKET-DRILL-LIMIT BREAK!**_"

Fourze's speed instantly went into overdrive as the rocket's propulsion was pushed to ridiculous levels. The drill likewise began spinning at a speed which would have it mistaken for a diamond cutter. His attack prepped, Fourze dove at the falling Zodiarts which could do nothing but watch him fly towards him.

"ROCKET DRILL KICK!" Fourze bellowed as his Drill Module impacted against the Zodiarts' heart. The monster gave out a scream as the drill dug into its flesh like a hot knife through butter. The kaijin's body lit up like a miniature star before it exploded like several thousand pounds of T.N.T. Fourze's body seemed to take the force in stride as he passed through its, his Drill and Rocket Switches turning themselves off as a side effect of the Limit Break. However, that was unfortunately a problem in itself since it left Naruto to begin falling towards Earth.

"Ahhhh! I'm falling! I'm falling!" Fourze screamed, his mind too far gone to mind about stating the obvious. Reaching to his belt, he accessed the pocket which allowed him to hold his two extra Switches. He had to have brought something that could help! Grabbing the first Switch he felt, he pulled it out to see it was #7…and it had an image of a parachute on it! "I'm saved!" His HUD revealed it was for his left arm so he took out his Radar Switch and popped #7 into its place.

"_Parachute!_"

*CLICK!*

"_**PA-RA-CHUTE-ON!**_"

A green module appeared on Fourze's arm before three bundles of fabric burst from the wrist end of it and dragged Fourze's arm up before they unfolded into three parachutes with green lining on them.

"Oh…man…that was too close," Fourze sighed in relief. "I'm gonna have to thank Hinata-chan for suggesting this one."

* * *

Back on the ground, Tomi gasped as his consciousness returned to his body. Groaning in pain, he began tearing the webbing from his body.

"That…bastard," he grunted.

* * *

Fourze managed to steer himself back to Konoha Gakuen and landed on the ground at the track circle. The parachutes lost their lift and collapsed as he hit the ground. Panting, he turned off the Parachute Switch which allowed the Parachute Arm to vanished. Sighing in relief, his HUD suddenly blinked to life and honed in on something which was a few feet away from the crater. Confused, Fourze trotted over to it and frowned once he got a good view. Inside of a small crater of its own and smoking from such a long fall was the Heracles Zodiarts Switch. Fourze reached down and picked the offending item up, feeling some heat through his glove.

"Now what to do with you?" he wondered, gripping the item. "Maybe Hinata-chan will know."

Looking about, Fourze saw that no one had come to inspect all of the noise yet. So he dashed for the supply shed where the portal to the moon station. Entering the shed, he moved through the debris and to the locker with the sticker that looked like his helmet. Finding it, he opened the door to reveal the bright tunnel and slipped inside. Walking through, he emerged inside the Rabbit Hutch once again.

"Naruto-kun!" Hinata called, dashing out into the common area. Spotting the armoured teen, she dashed up to him and began examining him for injuries. "Are you okay? I was alble to see the explosion from here!"

"I'm okay Hinata-chan," Fourze insisted, making Hinata blink and turn pink at such a familiar means of speaking to her. Of course, he didn't notice as he raised his hand to reveal the Zodiarts Switch. "Do you think you can tell me what to do with this thing? It fell out of the sky after I destroyed the Zodiarts."

"Ah…oh! Right!" Hinata nodded, trying to keep her mind on the situation. "Well, according to the notes, if you press the Switch while you're in the suit it will cause the energy to react and make the Switch implode in on itself like a black hole."

"Cool," Fourze nodded. Gripping the Switch, he tapped the red button to deactivate the item. The reaction was instantly as the Switch was enveloped in dark power before it collapsed in on itself, vanishing from Fourze's hand. "Wow…"

"Thank goodness," Hinata sighed in relief. The nightmare was over now.

Slumping with relief, Fourze reached to his belt and shut down all four of the red switches and removed the belt. The protective suit suddenly vanished from his body, reverting him back to ordinary Uzumaki Naruto, "Whew! Glad that's over." Sticking his hands in his pockets, he smiled at Hinata, "I'm glad you were here to help me out. I was clues about what to do and I would have hit like a water balloon on the ground after I beat that thing."

Hinta flushed and turned pink, retreating to her childhood habit of playing with her fingers while looking at her feet, "O-oh, i-i-it's nothing. I j-j-just wanted to h-help."

"I'll say you did," Naruto nodded. "Say, want to grab some ramen with me? I'll pay. I'd say we deserve some after everything we've gone through today!"

'_A d-d-d-date?-! With N-N-Naruto-kun?-!_' Hinata thought to herself in near panic. It was by this point that all of the stress of the day and the nervousness she had been suppressing from being around Naruto in such close quarters finally caught up with her and her automatic response finally kicked in.

She fainted.

* * *

Inside what could only be called a darkened office, eleven figures could be seen circles around a desk with a twelfth figure sitting behind it. The eleven figures were obviously inhuman and were dressed in gold and black robes which had red designs that looked akin to clouds on them.

"_One of the Switches has been deactivated,_" one of the figures commented.

"I am aware of this_,_" the figure at the desk nodded. "Something forced it to deactivate did it not?"

"_Yes,_" nodded a figure with insect-like features.

"Then go and find out what did it," the desk figure ordered. "That is all."

The eleven figures nodded before they vanished into the darkness. This left the man at the desk alone. As he sat there though, his eyes began to glow an ominous red colour.

"Could it be?" he muttered. "Did they complete a countermeasure?"

**To Be Continued…**

* * *

**A/N: Okay everyone, here's my foray into the Kamen Rider Fourze fanfiction. I decided to go with Naruto since seeing him and the Konoha 12 as high school students is a popular idea and I wanted to show off my take on it.**

**For some info, here's a breakdown of the five main prefectures**

**Hinokuni Prefecture: A civic centre and probably the most advanced technologically. It's the place for the latest in everything and anyone who is anyone would wan to live there. Many rich families send their kids to Konoha Gakuen for the best education that money can buy.**

**Kazenokuni Prefecture: What used to be a thriving tourist hotspot filled with beaches, hiking trails, desert runs, and other sporting events and the like has now come under hard times. Investors have been turning their attentions to the commerce and economy of Hinokuni so Kazenokuni has been suffering. It's best school is known as Suna High School and has a good history of athletics such as track and field events. However, due to the depression everything has been getting budget cuts.**

**Mizunokuni Prefecture: A somewhat politically unstable area which has just underwent a revolution of sorts and is now run by Mei Terumi who keeps an eye on all public facilities to make sure the previous racist and corrupted regime is truly dead and gone. Kiri Academy is a rough place to be, but it's slowly getting better and on its way to reclaiming its glory in its swimming competitions and academics.**

**Tsuchinokuni Prefecture: A mining prefecture where the largest deposits of raw minerals for products can be found. It's a paranoid place with border patrols and harsh discipline since many, many times groups have attempted to steal what the miners have collected and paid for it. The school Iwa High boasts some of the most artistic minds in the fields of sculpting, painting, and metallurgy.**

**Kaminarunokuni Prefecture: A militaristic prefecture where most of the military families tend to gravitate. The prefecture is responsible for weapons factories which produce the equipment all of the law keepers be they law enforcement or military use. The Kumo Military School helps cultivate the next generation of military which sports the lowest number of delinquents in all of the schools.**

**More on Oto, Ame, Kusa, Taki, and others to come.**


	2. Wish Upon A Star

I do not own Naruto or Kamen Rider Fourze. Those belong to their respective creators and not me. I am only writing this for fun and not for any sort of profit. I am only writing this for fun and I hope that everyone who reads this has fun as well. Well, enjoy.

**Kamen Rider Fourze: Cosmic Maelstrom**

**By Ten-Faced Paladin**

**Chapter 2: Wish upon a Star**

"Itadakimasu!"

This semi-deserted street which resided within the city of Konohagakure played host to the smiling and bright voice of Naruto Uzumaki. He was currently in the midst of pigging out on a bowl of ramen which was made courtesy of the Ichiraku Ramen stand of which he was a most loyal customer. The proprietor and cook of the establishment, Teuchi Ichiraku, an older man with greying hair just smiled as he heard one of his best customers enjoying his cooking. The waitress/assistant cook named Ayame who was Teuchi's daughter just smiled as she saw Naruto return and once again attempt to break the shop record of most bowls of ramen devoured in one sitting.

Ayame and Teuchi had known Naruto for a pretty long time. He would always hang around their stand after his godfather brought the blonde there one night to grab a bowl or two. Naruto had been instantly hooked and when he could scrape together the pocket money, he'd come by for another bowl or two while talking about his day to Ayame and Teuchi. Ayame had all but adopted Naruto as a little brother and was always ready to indulge him in whatever he wanted to talk about. Teuchi just treated the kid like a surrogate grandson, offering him a bowl of ramen on the house now and then.

Tonight, both father and daughter were pleased to see that Naruto had brought a friend to the stand that evening. Both of them were even more pleased that his friend turned out to be a very pretty girl who went to school with him. Ayame was able to pick up in a heartbeat that shy little Hinata Hyuuga was crushing on Naruto something fierce. Her blushing whenever Naruto looked at her or even said something nice about her (which was often) made it pretty obvious. The girl didn't speak nearly as much as Naruto and had been nibbling on the same bowl of ramen she ordered while Naruto was working on his fourth bowl.

Gulping down the last of his ramen, Naruto heaved a sigh, "Whew! Good as ever old man! Worth every Yen!"

"Good to hear Naruto," Teuchi grinned. "But call me old man again and I'll restrict your ramen intake."

"Nooooo!" Naruto suddenly broke out in tears and began bowing profusely. "I'm sorry! I'm sorry! Don't take away my ramen!"

Hinata giggled softly at the scene, once again Naruto's bright and energetic personality bringing a smile to her lips. She had to admit that Naruto certainly had good taste in food. She hadn't ever had ramen as good as Ichiraku's before. The again, she never had ramen before in the first place. As part of the esteemed Hyuuga Family, all of the food she ate was made by professional chefs who all graduated at the tops of their classes in prestigious cooking schools. Being able to eat something different and in large portions like the Ichirakus served was quite the change for her.

Ayame smiled at the girl and decided to see if she could indulge in her 'big sister' instincts by helping the shy girl along in obtaining her crush. Leaning on her side of the counter, she spoke in a soft voice so not to capture Naruto's attention. Then again, her father had just served Naruto's fifth bowl so he would be suitably distracted for a while, "So, Hinata-san is it?"

"Um…hai?" Hinata nodded, looking up at the young woman.

"Just how long have you been crushing on Naruto-kun?" Ayame asked cheekily.

"EEP!" Hinata's face did it's infamous red tomato impression.

"It's okay," Ayame giggled. "Crushes aren't anything to be all that ashamed about. I'm just happy that such a pretty girl managed to be swayed by Naruto's charm. For a while there, I was worried that he wasn't ever going to get a nice girlfriend since he keeps pulling off all those pranks in school. Maybe now that he's got you, you can keep him on the straight and narrow, ne?"

"G-G-G-Girlfriend?-!" Hinata blushed vibrantly. "N-N-N-Naruto-kun's?-!"

"Well, yeah!" Ayame nodded. "That's what girls who like boys do, right? They go out with them and strike up relationships!"

"B-B-But I-I-I-I," Hinata sputtered.

"He's not a bad choice for a boyfriend either," Ayame continued. "I mean, sure he's a prankster but once a good girl gets her hands on him I'm sure that'll be a thing of the past. He's very nice, pretty darn good-looking, strong, developed in all the right ways, and extremely loyal to the people he calls precious. You don't find many guys out there with his kind of moral backbone you know. If I wasn't old enough to be his big sister, I'd have snapped him pretty darn quick myself. If you don't snap him up soon, I bet there are plenty of girls who will once they see what you already do about Naruto-kun."

"…" Hinata couldn't speak she was so flustered. She of course knew a lot about Naruto's virtues and the closest things which came to vices for him were his pranking sprees and his eating habits when it came to his ramen, the latter she discovered just a moment ago. Hinata also knew that if some other girls began seeing past Naruto's pranks and see who he really was like she did then he probably wasn't going to stay single for too long. The thought of some other girl being in a relationship with Naruto and making him happy like Hinata wished she could made a cloud of gloom appear over head.

"Hey, hey! No need to get depressed!" Ayame gasped, seeing Hinata slump so suddenly. "All you have to do is confess, right? Then Naruto will go out with you for sure!"

"B-B-But…" Hinata began. '_I don't think I'm good enough,_' were her thoughts, but instead she said something else, "But Naruto-kun likes Sakura Haruno."

Sakura Haruno: the one who had Naruto's feelings for some time now and one who Hinata felt like she couldn't compare with. Sakura was likely one of the smartest girls in their year, if not the whole school. She was a pretty girl with a vibrancy around her that made her something of an idol to many of the students. It was helped that she ha a slim, athletic figure with emerald green eyes and soft red hair that looked more pink than anything else. She was already being scouted by universities for her academic status and it only served to make her more popular with her fans. Naruto had been crushing on her for some time and in their junior high days she turned him down rather…harshly. A punch to the face couldn't really be interpreted as anything else. Still, Naruto continued on even though it was obvious that Sakura had her eyes on someone else.

"Bah, that was back in Junior High. Things are different now!" Ayame scoffed. "This is the time for _you_ to leap in and snag him before another girl does! You're already hanging out with him here aren't you? He's never brought anyone except that perv of a godfather here before! That means you're way ahead of any other girl out there!"

The comment was enough to bring Hinata out of her gloom, "R-Really?"

"You bet!" Ayame grinned. "Trust me on this as a fellow woman. You've got some of the best odds to making Naruto all yours! Just be a little more assertive!" a mischievous grin overtook her face. "Maybe a copious amount of ramen would help too. It's his first love before even that Haruno girl."

"Ah...h-hai!" Hinata nodded.

"Oji-san! Another bowl!" naruto grinned, finishing his fifth bowl. "I'm going for the record today!"

* * *

The night continued and Hinata couldn't remember being so relaxed and having fun. It was cute to see Naruto try to eat so much ramen and extoll the virtues of 'the magical food'. Teuchi and Ayame were of course very friendly, but they seemed to insist on handing out pointers to Hinata on how to get Naruto as her boyfriend. The thought of such made butterflies fly in the shy girl's stomach, but some of the tips Ayame gave her were a little...embarrassing.

At the moment, the pair were walking down the streets, Naruto with his arms folded behind his head while Hinata was poised and proper as her upbringing demanded of her.

"Man, today was wild," Naruto sighed, the feeling of good ramen making him feel much more relaxed. "That Zodiarts thing was freaky. Think there are more of them out there?"

"I think so," Hinata nodded. "The files on the Zodiarts said that a lot of switches were made before...whatever caused that station to be abandoned happened. It didn't say exactly how many of them there were though."

"Jeez," Naruto grimaced. "Well, I don't know about you but I'm gonna keep fighting them. That last one was just plain psycho and he was only after you. I don't even want to think about what might happen if there's one that has it in for the rest of the school or anybody else."

"Mn," The Hyuuga heiress nodded in agreement. That Heracles Zodiarts had been so obsessed with her it was terrifying. She wasn't sure if the boy using it was already like that or if the Zodiart Switch had done that to him, but if someone with that much power and such an unstable mind had a grudge against a broader target then there was no telling how many people would end up getting hurt in the process.

"Still, thanks for the help Hinata-chan," Naruto grinned at his new friend. "You were pretty smart to find out where that thing's switch was and what would happen if I beat it. I didn't want to end up blowing up the school like some of the punks want to."

"O-o-oh," Hinata flushed, her cheeks turning red once again as she stared down at the ground. "I-I-It was nothing."

"No I'm serious!" Naruto insisted "I mean you figured out the Fourze Driver, the Zodiarts, and that whole Last One thing so quick. It would have taken me forever to figure out the Driver and definitely wouldn't have figured out that whole Last One living bomb thing."

"Um...thank-you," Hinata nodded, more flushed than ever "B-but Naruto-kun figured out the Astro Switches really quickly too. Y-You were able to use Rocket and Drill together to beat that Zodiart and make sure no one was hurt in the explosion."

"Heh, heh," the whiskered blonde grinned bashfully. "Well the helmet helped out with that. It told me which Switches were docked in the Driver. I just figured out a rocket-powered drill kick would probably take out anything. I also hoped that rocket would have been good enough to take us high enough in the sky so nothing would get blown up along with that creep. Guess I was right."

Hinata smiled. She was happy to be spending time with her crush, but she could have done without the life-threatening attacks that came with it. Still, she was thankful that she managed to actually speak with him. Maybe this was a sign of things to come? Spending time with Naruto was something she was going to cherish as much as she could.

As the pair walked, the sounds of a car slowing down could be heard approaching them. Looking, they both saw what looked like a limousine approaching the curb to come to a stop next to the pair. Naruto blinked in confusions, limos having never stopped near him unless it was at an intersection. Hinata on the other hand felt like her heart sank when she saw the flame emblem on the side of the vehicles. Her family crest, the mark of Hyuuga Industries.

The car was idle for a moment before the door at the back clicked, opening as someone stepped out. The one who stepped out was a young man who seemed close to Hinata and Naruto's ages, perhaps a year or so older. He wore a Konoha Gakuen uniform, indicating where he went to school. He had long brown hair which hung down to his back. He wore a cloth headband around his forehead and his eyes were the same pale shade as Hinata's own, but they didn't carry any of the emotion that the girl's did. Instead, he looked stern and unmoving, an obvious symptom to something Naruto affectionately called the 'stick-up-his-ass' syndrome.

"Hinata-sama, so this is where you ended up," he spoke "You are aware of your father's edict when it comes to deviating from the daily schedules."

"H-H-Hai, Neji-niisan," Hinata mumbled, looking at the ground downcast.

"Niisan?" Naruto blinked. "Hinata-chan, this is your brother?"

"Her cousin," the older boy spoke, sounding quite insistent on the title. "And I would ask that you refer to Hinata-sama properly."

"Hey, she's my friend pal," Naruto frowned. "And you aren't her father so you can't tell me what to call her anyway!"

"No, but I am her bodyguard and it is my duty to make sure she is treated properly, even if it is something as little as her proper titles," Neji retorted, his face growing more grim. Obviously the teen wasn't used to somebody talking back to him. Did this blonde punk not know who he and Hinata represented?

"Bodyguard?" Naruto blinked, but then he began to frown. "Then where the hell were you when that Tomi Kakisonji prick tried to kill me and force Hinata to be his girlfriend?-! She could have been hurt or worse!"

"Kakisonji?" Neji blinked, for once showing an emotion. "So he was being persistent once again has he?" he shook his head in annoyance. "That idiot has been one of Hinata-sama's more persistent suitors."

"Yeah well he went off the deep end if you ask me," Naruto growled. "If it wasn't for me Hinata-chan could have ended up in a bad way!" Hinata blushed at the declaration, feeling a little guilty for causing such an inconvenience for everyone, but at the same time she felt warm knowing Naruto was so protective of her. "So what happened to you guys when all this was going on?"

"We were waiting at the selected pick up point like always only to find Hinata-sama having not arrived when she should have," Neji retorted. "I suspect Hiashi-sama will insist that we have the company car pick her up in front of the school from now on."

Hinata wilted at the announcement. She hated standing out. It had taken her forever to convince her father to not pick her up at school since it would make her stand out in a grand way. Now everyone in the school was going to believe she was some kind of spoiled heiress instead of simply cold like they did before.

"Nonetheless, I suppose some appreciation is in order for assisting Hinata-sama when you did," Neji sighed. "I'll see if some sort of compensation is given to you for services rendered in the name of Hinata-sama's protection."

"Hey, hey, I don't need anything," Naruto shrugged. "I'm just glad Hinata-chan's okay."

'_Naruto-kun..._' Hinata blushed, the butterflies returning to her stomach.

"How altruistic," Nei muttered cynically. "Very well. Hinata-sama, please come along. Your father insists you be home quickly for the evening dinner. There are some people attending your father wishes you to meet."

"H-Hai Neji-niisan," Hinata nodded. Turning around, she bowed deeply to Naruto. "T-T-Thank-you for tonight N-Naruto-kun. I had fun."

"Heh, no problem!" Naruto grinned. "Let's do it again sometime!"

'_Not if I have anything to say about it,_' Neji thought to himself as a blushing Hinata headed towards the limo. '_So this is Naruto Uzumaki? The one Hinata-sama seems to be wasting her affections on? Why hasn't Hiashi-sama discouraged such an attachment already? He's just a yankee thug as far as I can tell._'

Dismissing the question as none of his business, Neji entered the limo again and shut the door as Hinata took her own seat inside. Signalling to the driver, the vehicle took off once more, leaving a grinning Naruto in it's wake as he seemed to appreciate his good fortune in making a new friend.

* * *

**Kon****oha Gakuen**

Another day of school dawned on the high class school as the students arrived and did what the did for the day be it classes, gossiping, or skipping. People did take notice that there had been some property damage done to some areas. some assumed that it was a gang attack of some kind. Just because Konoha Gakuen was an upper class school didn't mean that it was loved by the people universally. Some of the schools in other prefectures _hated_ them. Others such as Mizuki-sensei argued that it was likely Naruto who had done the damage in payback for his detention duties. However, there wasn't any proof either way as to who did the damage so they couldn't punish anybody and instead had the damage repaired however they could.

So the day moved on and the lunch bell rang, signalling some free time for the students to eat, drink, and be merry for at least a little while. Most of the students either at in the classroom so they could catch up on some notes or homework, others went to the cafeteria for the lunches made their which despite common belief was _not_ some disgusting slop, or just ate in a semi-private spot where they could relax with friends.

One such pair was walking across campus towards the storage shed. The pair were of course one of the popular pairs on campus who always had some kind of gossip surrounding them. One of the two couldn't have cared less while the other humbly ate it up.

The were Sasuke Uchiha and Sakura Haruno.

Sakura was a girl who stood out thanks to her pink hair and bright green eyes. During her early years in school she proved to be really smart, but the other kids teased her horribly because her forehead was rather pronounced with how she wore her hair. It was thanks to a friend she made that she managed to get around the teasing and begin to bloom. In Junior High she met who would be her future boyfriend (and who she hoped would be her future husband) Sasuke Uchiha. Sakura wasn't ashamed to admit that she went a little (a lot) fangirly over the broody young man. She dieted religiously and worked hard in both her books and on her looks to try and be the girl she was confident that Sasuke would want to go out with. Looking back at herself now, she would have attributed it to being naive when it came to romance. When the years of Junior High were running down and graduation was approaching, Sakura finally saw that her approach just wasn't working. So in the end she decided to instead of worshiping him, she would just sit down and talk to him instead of coming off as a desperate fangirl. In time over a summer and the beginning of their time in Konoha Gakuen, she asked Sasuke if he would like to go out on a date and he finally said yes. The pair had been dating ever since.

Sasuke Uchiha was a teen who could embody the word broody when he wanted to. He was captain of the school's kendo club and had led the team to championship trophies several times since getting the position. He was tall and had an envious physique which many girls would like to see even if Sakura had first dibs and he wore a normal Konoha Gakuen uniform. His hair was jet black and his eyes were dark, typical of the Uchiha line. His hair was spiked at the back, often getting him teased in his younger days as duck-butt hair. Sasuke was usually very serious in his personality and didn't much seem like he would go out of his way for something fun.

Sasuke was the latest in the line of the Uchiha Clan, some of the biggest players in Konohagakure and Hinokuni's political and economic structures. They had been around since Konohagakure was founded and thus had their fingers in just about everything it offered be it large and small. They were ridiculously rich and had some serious pull.

But those days had passed.

When Sasuke was little, he bore witness to his older brother Itachi slaughtering almost all of the Uchiha clan members before disappearing for parts unknown. There was no evidence or even a hint as to why the lauded prodigy of the Uchiha Family did what he did. If he wanted his inheritance, he would have done the deed to try and make it look like anyone but himself had done it. Likewise with his resources, any kind of personal grudge would have been dealt with secretly so to avoid bringing suspicion. To openly kill his family members in full sight of all the Uchiha compound's security measures made no sense to most people and many simply decided that Itachi had snapped under the pressures of his family life and expectations. Sasuke had been the only survivor, for some reason being left out of the massacre. In the aftermath, the Uchiha's economic and politcal power was broken since the only heir was much too young to take over any of it. The political positions were filled by others and board of trustees were placed in charge of Uchiha companies. Sasuke was eligible to take over once he turned 21, but he had to have the proper certification before the board would allow him to sit alongside them, much less touch anything connected to management.

Sasuke himself was left in need of mental and medical help for months before the doctors deemed him able to return to an ordinary life. He was placed with a foster family to take care of him until such a time he was legally an adult and wished to move out. The family was accommodating and affectionate, but for the longest time Sasuke was a brooding child who could only think about how he could track down his older brother and get revenge for what he did to his family. He ignored his classmates and former friends, all of it he ignored save for his school work and ideas on how to track down Itachi. His brooding gave him a dark avenger look which made a number of his female classmates go wild over him and all but stalk him in hopes of becoming his girlfriend. Sasuke ignored them as flighty bimbos who were either infatuated by looks alone or were hoping to cash in on his name.

As he got older and continued attending his support group, Sasuke slowly began to exit his brooding phase. He came back to the world bit by bit, slowly becoming a teenager like he should have long ago. He was still somewhat grim and quiet, not to mention serious most of the time but people weren't so worried about his mental health anymore. He still wished to one day face Itachi and make him pay for what he did, but it was no longer a consuming obsession. He would live his life, the life that Itachi tried to take away and when the time came Sasuke swore he would make his brother pay for his crimes.

His relationship with Sakura was something of a surprise even for him. For the longest time, she was a card-carrying member of his fanclub. Those girls could be downright rabid when it looked like another girl was sniffing around him. He didn't particularly enjoy their attentions and simply tried to ignore them whenever he could. Sakura had acted just like them until their last year of Junior high. One day she just sat down next to him, introduced herself, and attempted to make small talk. His was silent for most of it, but he made a comment or two. Despite how pissed off it made the other fangirls, Saura did it again by just sitting down and making small talk. He ended up learning a bit about her and reluctantly hung out with her and conversed with her as he learned that she was growing out of her fangirl habits and gaining some common sense to go with her intelligence. They would periodically spend time together over the summer and during their first year in Konoha Gakuen when she asked if he'd like to go on a date, he couldn't think of a good reason to say now

Now in their second year, they were the popular couple who had brains, beauty, and money. Who wouldn't have wanted to be them?

Well, when Sakura was going through 'that' time of the month you wanted to be anyone else but Sasuke. That was neither here nor there though.

"Eating lunch in the Rabbit Hutch today too Sasuke-kun?" asked Sakura as the pair headed for the equipment shed.

"After hearing about how the storage shed got trashed, I want to make sure that nobody got inside," Sasuke replied, knowing his girlfriend was playing coy again to try and keep him from getting too serious. "I'm also hoping that we have some kind of idea as to what caused the rest of the destruction yesterday."

"Do you think it was a Zodiarts?" asked the pinkette.

"Maybe, but the amount of destruction wasn't what I thought someone hopped up on cosmic energy would be," Sasuke shrugged. "We'll just have to see if anything was recorded."

Apparently, Naruto and Hinata were not the first to have found the Rabbit Hutch. Sasuke and Sakura had come upon it first and turned it into their secret hangout. Sasuke merely considered it a base of operations against the impending threats known as the Zodiarts, but Sakura considered it more of her private love nest for her and her boyfriend. She wasn't in any way believing that it was some casual hangout, but she was hoping to use it as one while they weren't in red alert.

The pair entered the storage shed, finding it still messy from the disaster that happened. The sports equipment was put away as were the extra desks and such, but the rows of lockers were either dented or in a messy row from how the faculty were quickly putting the lockers back up. Sasuke and Sakura moved past the piles of equipment before reached one locker which sported a rocket faced sticker. Sasuke opened the door before stepping inside the light tunnel, Sakura following close behind to shut the locker door behind her.

The pair walked through the path of light before they reached the other end and emerged into the Rabbit Hutch properly. Sasuke approached the main table and dropped his supplies onto it before he headed for the computer terminals to see if he could get an idea as to what had happened the previous night.

Sakura had just set her own bag down, preparing for another quiet and romantic lunch on the moon when...

"SAKURA!"

"Sasuke-kun?" the pinkette gasped. Running to the terminal room, she saw Sasuke staring straight at one of the wall panels. She didn't notice at first, but then she noticed that what appeared to be panels had unfolded from the wall and looked like they had been holding something before being removed.

"Is that...?" Sakura gasped, but then her heart sunk when she saw near one of the hidden compartments was what looked like instruction documents depicting an object called the Fourze Driver. "No..."

"It's gone," Sasuke frowned. "It was right under our noses this whole time, and now it's gone."

"But who?" asked Sakura. "I mean...no one else even knows this place is here! We're the only ones who knew the Fourze Driver was hidden here!"

"Well someone found out!" Sasuke snapped back. "And now our only chance at beating the Zodiarts is gone!" Growling, he walked towards the terminals and began typing away on the keyboards to pull up screens and readouts. The screens blinked to life and brought up command screens which in turn opened up folders and files. Sakura moved closer to her boyfriend to read over his shoulder.

"Someone accessed the Zodiarts file," she frowned, her eyes scanning over the data. "The switches, statistics, and the Last One phase. Were they trying to figure out what Zodiarts were?"

"Or trying to figure out what we knew," Sasuke frowned. Eyeing the files, he noticed something. "Wait...what's this?"

Sakura read over the feed, "A hidden data file?"

"One that's protected by a certain execution," Sasuke frowned. "The computers say it was accessed but not how it is accessed or what's in it. Judging by the secret panels, it probably told whoever opened it how to get to the Fourze Driver and the Astro Switches. Dammit."

"Calm down Sasuke-kun," Sakura sighed, running her hand along his shoulder. "We both know this wasn't going to be easy. This is just a bump in the road. We can just use the sensors and such here to try and track down the Driver and Switches, right?"

"Right," Sasuke agreed, already moving to type in the commands into the available equipment in the Rabbit Hutch. "Whoever did this though must have some very deep connections to even hear about the Rabbit Hutch, much less the Driver and Switches."

* * *

**Konoha Gakuen**

"ACHOO!"

"Ew. Naruto...don't be so troublesome. Especially when I can get away with watching clouds."

The rooftop of Konoha Gakuen was playing host to four of the more notable students in the school's current roster and not because of the academic success. One of them was of course Naruto himself, leaning back against the guard fence with a bowl of instant ramen in his hands and had only stopped to sneeze. Second was he lazy genius Shikamaru, who was laying back and staring up at the sky, having almost been peppered by spittle and chewed up ramen noodles. The lazy boy was casting a glare at the blonde who was rubbing his nose.

Sitting next to Shikamaru was another Konoha Gakuen student was was portly with brown hair that spiked straight up. He was obviously one of the heavier students with his weight and his face was obviously puffy as a result. His eyes were squinted and had swirls on his cheeks. In his hands was a bag of chips which he was munching on with a speed of someone who was well practiced. His name was Chouji Akimichi. Unlike a lot of the students in Konoha Gakuen, Chouji's family was a bit more humble. They owned a pair of supermarkets which were moderately successful, but were nothing on some of the business families like the Hyuuga, Sarutobi, Senju, or Kurama. Because of Chouji's background, his pudgy looks, and his lack of school activities it made him something of a target of ridicule. He was best friends with Shikamaru since they were smaller, their fathers having been friends for years before they were born. Of course, the pair of them made easy friends with Naruto.

The last member of the group was yet another member of Konoha Gakuen. He was thin and looked to be an obvious fighter with his lean and toned figure. It wasn't muscle developed from any kind of organized sport, but raw street fighting just like Naruto. His shirt was opened without a tie, revealing a bit of his chest. His hair was brown and very shaggy, looking like it hadn't been brushed. His eyes had narrow pupils and his cheeks were marked by red slash markings. He claimed they were birthmarks, but the teachers didn't buy it. His teeth also had elongated canines, making him appear overall as a wild and brutish guy. His name was Kiba Inuzuka. Despite his thuggish looks he was the second heir of the Inuzuka family, the most prominent veterinarians and dog breeders in Konohagakure and all of Hinokuni Prefecture. Kiba's mother ran the family clinic while his older sister Hana was the first in line for succession and was also a rising name in animal medicine. Inuzuka's were known for their attitudes which made it hard for them to fit into high society like their fellow upper-class families like the Hyuuga or Kurama, but Kiba was the most vocal about it. He was going to live life his way and not by some made-up rules rich snobs followed. That usually involved picking fights with people who saw him as an easy mark since he was born into a rich family. He found kindred spirits in Naruto, Shikamaru, and Chouji who likewise were fine living their way and not by anyone else's.

"Sorry Shika," Naruto sniffled, wiping his nose. "It kinda snuck up on me."

"You catching a cold?" asked Chouji, his mouth full of chips. "Kinda early for one."

"Nah, not that," Naruto denied.

"Yeah, idiots can't catch colds!" Kiba grinned.

"Bite me dog-face," Naruto snapped back.

"Troublesome as always you two," Shikamaru sighed, shaking his head. "Speaking of, Naruto if you're going to go on a date with a girl could you do it _away_ from my neck of the woods? Mom saw you two and started nagging on me about when I'm going to start getting serious about finding a girl to settle down with. Pretty much said that if you could get a girl then it was high time I looked for one."

"Hm?" Naruto blinked. "You mean she saw me and Hinata-chan?" Shikamaru's family ran a pharmacy in the same neighbourhood as Naruto's and incidentally did business near the Ichiraku Ramen stand. Surprisingly, despite being only one store it was very successful. They catered to both modern and natural medicine, actually having a plot of land to raise deer so they could use the horns for a number of homemade remedies for aches, pains, and such. Shikaku Nara, Shikamaru's father was a genuine genius like his son but like Shikamaru he was pretty damn lazy. As such, the pharmacy could have been a lot more successful, as in like a small chain of stores but Shikaku was just so damn lazy he figured since his family could live in comfort then that was enough. Naruto kept hearing stories from Shikamaru about how his mother gave her husband hell for it.

"You mean the dobe finally found his balls and asked a girl out?" Kiba grinned, earning a growl from Naruto. "About time. So just who was this chick? She got a last name?"

"If Mom's need to gossip is true, it's Hinata Hyuuga," Shikamaru replied.

"Really? Hinata Hyuuga?" Chouji blinked. "She's the heiress of Hyuuga Industries isn't she?"

"And one of the hottest girls in school, even if she's a little cold to everyone," Kiba shrugged. "Damn Naruto. You like to aim high."

"For the record, Hinata-chan's not 'cold to everyone'. She's just pretty shy," Naruto defended. "When Ayame-chan at Ichiraku's was talking to her she kept going all quiet and blushing and stuff. Half the time I couldn't hear what she was saying."

"So you gonna bone her or what?" asked Kiba with a lecherous grin.

BONK!

"Don't say perverted crap like that!" Naruto growled, whapping Kiba over the head with his fist. "I get that enough from Ero-sennin!" He then blanched slightly. "And don't any of you say a word of this to him! He'll never let me hear the end of it!"

"Geez, calm down," Kiba grumbled, rubbing the knot on his head. "I mean, she's been voted one of the hottest girls in the school and I got contacts saying her boobs are pretty big too even though she wears that uniform like everyone else."

"Kiba..." Naruto growled.

"Troublesome," muttered Shikamaru.

"How'd you get a contact to tell you that?" asked Chouji, still munching on his chips. "The girls here are notoriously anti-pervert."

"A girlfriend of a friend who's a little more free than most," Kiba retorted, but the began to mumble. "Why can't there be more girls like her?"

"So, how did you make friends with her," Chouji asked. Hinata was one of the upper class girls and she was pretty shy too. She wouldn't have gone out of her way to talk to anyone.

"Uh...some prick was trying to make her become his girlfriend," Naruto shrugged, swiftly trying to keep out mentions of the Zodiarts. He'd seen enough superhero shows to know that stuff like that had to be kept secret. "Kicked his ass and that was it."

"Well, she is the heiress to one of the most profitable industries in Hinokuni after the Uchiha industries got their backs broken," said Shikamaru. "Lots of social climbers and gold diggers would want to get together with her to make their lives a whole lot better."

"Jerks," Naruto growled. Hinata didn't need a boyfriend. What she needed were friends. She just seemed so lonely because of her reputation. The way she wilted when that Neji jerk said she'd be picked up in a limo at the front gate made it obvious that she didn't like to stand out because of her reputation. It probably didn't help when she would get hounded by guys who were only after her because she came from a rich family.

"So...are you gonna try and go for home or what?" asked Kiba. "They say the quiet ones are always the wildest."

"Kiba...don't make me hurt you," Naruto frowned.

"Just sayin," Kiba shrugged. "You haven't shown that you even knew girls exist since Sakura and she's been going out with Uchiha since the end of Junior High."

Naruto groaned and slumped over, his head dangling as a cloud hung over his head. His first crush, the first girl he wanted to go out with, the one he wanted to share his first kiss with, off in the arms of the poster boy for apathy, Sasuke Uchiha, "Sakura-chaaaaaaaann..."

"Just let it go Naruto," Shikamaru sighed. "Girls are just too troublesome at our age."

"Give me a woman who cooks and loves food as much as me and I'd be happy," Chouji commented.

"Nah, you need the kinds who are into wild and crazy stuff," Kiba grinned ferally. "Gotta be stacked too."

"Are all you think about is boobs?" Shikamaru sighed. "Just give me an okay-looking girl so I can have two kids, a boy and girl, so I can work at the shop until I can retire and play shogi for the rest of my life."

"Wow, talk about low standards," Kiba blinked in amazement.

"Sakura-chaaaaaaan..." Naruto moaned.

* * *

The gymnasium of Konoha Gakuen was very large and outfitted with a lot of the top of the line physical education equipment. An exercise room could be found in a connecting doorway which the heavier sports teams would use to keep themselves in shape. The gym itself was outfitted with a basketball court with netting and a high tech scoreboard able to relay pictures for anyone in the stands to look at with a photo image quality. At the edges of the gym was a set of track lines for the track team to use for shorter races or teams to get some speed and endurance training in.

Several students were working there to get some prep time in for club activities later or meeting with team members to see if there was any notices that needed to be handed out or surprise training ideas that could be put into use by captains and vice-captains for practicality.

Of course, the cheerleaders liked to hold meetings there at lunch or even practice a routine or two if the audience was lucky.

The cheerleaders of Konoha Gakuen were of course pretty, thin, agile, and oh so pleasant to look at for the teenage male population. Of course, the same cheerleaders had busted more than a few boys for gawking at them like perverts, as was the reputation for girls from Konoha Gakuen and Konohagakure. It sure didn't stop the boys from wanting to gawk at the cheerleaders in their workout outfits and uniforms stretching or working on their routines. It went doubly so for their lovely captain.

"Mina! You're dipping on your side of the pyramid!" the dazzling Ino Yamanaka called out, pointing to where her club members were piled in the famous cheerleader technique. "If we can't master the pyramid then we can't build up to the Konoha Tree!"

Ino was a pretty girl and she knew it, taking ultimate care of her good looks and healthy shape. she was a well-shaped young woman with cascading blonde hair that ran down her back in a simple but fashionable ponytail with some of it partially concealing the right side of her face in a blonde waterfall. One of her crystal blue eyes were revealed, which made her look quite sexy when she wanted to. Even in a simple purple tank top and bicycle shorts, she looked desirable. She could be incredibly competitive when it came to just about anything,.

Ino's family ran a popular florist shop which dealt with all levels of Konohagakure's social classes. even the Hyuuga ordered flower arrangements from them for their decorative purposes or special ceremonies. The blonde girl was popular in her Junior High years, making a gaggle of friends. One of them being shy Sakura Haruno who was being mercilessly teased because of her forehead. Ino had stepped in and chased off the bullies. She and Sakura had been friends since then...up until Sasuke Uchiha joined their class. Since then, the pair had become fierce rivals over the boy and were the most rabid out of all of the girls chasing the boy. It had pissed Ino off something fierce when Sakura finally got him as a boyfriend, but like any Yamanaka she put it behind her and moved on. Her friendship with Sakura became a friendship again, but it was also a strong rivalry. Of course, Ino wasn't to let her best friend get the last laugh and vowed one day to get a man even better than Sasuke.

It led her to begin the habit of dating boys often, but just as often breaking up with them after a short time. She didn't have the reputation of being easy, as much as her spiteful exes would have liked and made sure that everyone knew it. She liked to dress sexy and alluring when the mood struck her, but she would only give away her first time to Mr. Right. Still, everyone was gossiping over who she might go out with next.

"Okay, let's try it again," Ino sighed. "One last time before lunch ends."

The pyramid of cheerleaders disassembled before they began moving through the motions of reaching their original routine positions for the performance. Ino's sharp eye for detail, honed by the numerous amounts of bouquets she helped her family shop put together, kept a sharp watch on what her cheerleaders were doing. The blonde didn't settle for second best and even when she was put in that position by force, she would fight until she became number one.

As Ino moved to start the routine music again to coordinate her team's efforts, she didn't notice someone hiding in the shadow of one of the bleachers. The figure was staring a laser beam straight at the blonde's back as she turned on the music of Anna Tsuchiya. Once the beat of the music began, the figure reached into their pocket before coming back out with a black and gold object with a red button on top. With a frown, the figure pressed their thumb onto the button with an ominous click.

The figure's body was swallowed into the middle of a black void. Emerging from it were several orbs of light similar of stars. The largest one took the centre with smaller stars taking four cardinal points. Furthermore, another pair of stars rose to the northern point on it's left side while a smaller star appeared between the left and bottom stars and a second star appearing next to the right side with one final orb of light appearing below the southern point.

When the stars retreated into the void, the terror started.

* * *

"AAAAAAAAHHHHHH!"

"Huh?" Kiba blinked, looking in the direction of the gym over the railing. "What the hell was that?"

"Sounded like a scream?" wondered Shikamaru, sitting up.

Frowning, Naruto set down his ramen and stood up. Walking to the fence, he peered through the links to see what was going on at the gym. More screams were sounding off, making the blonde wonder if Sasuke was there in his boxers or something. His fangirls would certainly start screaming at that. Peering out, Naruto began to see the people running out of the doors and even the emergency exits.

"Now that does not look good," Chouji commented, he and his friends approaching the fence to see the rising chaos. Several teachers were already running out of the school to see what was happening. "Is it a fire drill or a prank?"

"If it was a fire drill we would have heard it," Shikamaru frowned. "And if it was a prank, at least one of Naruto's he'd be there to bask in it."

"Think it might be someone else?" asked Kiba.

Naruto watched the chaos with a sinking feeling in his gut. Maybe he was being paranoid after yesterday with the Heracles Zodiarts, but something told him that something more was going on than just someone pulling a prank.

"I'm going to check it out," he announced before running for the stairs.

"Hey! Naruto, wait!"Kiba shouted, Shika, Chouji, and himself trying to follow their energetic friend.

* * *

**Rabbit Hutch**

Sasuke was pouring over data readouts and surveillance images around the school. Hoping to figure out what where the Fourze Driver had gone. As far as he got was seeing the Heracles Zodiarts charge around the inside of the school and equipment shed, but because the Rabbit Hutch had been on standby any surveillance only activated when a Zodiarts was in their view. So Sasuke hadn't been able to see who the Zodiart had been chasing and because the battle had taken place outdoors instead of inside or near the school entrances the cameras didn't activate once again, leaving the identity of who took the Fourze Driver a mystery. The only clue they had was his medical readouts that the suit provided when it was activated and that wasn't much of a clue at all.

"I should have programmed those sensors better," Sasuke growled.

Continuing to work as Sakura worked on her own terminals, both suddenly stopped when the screens lit up with warning icons.

_ALERT! ZODIARTS DETECTED! ALERT! ZODIARTS DETECTED!_

"Oh no!" Sakura gasped, momentarily stunned.

"Dammit!" Sasuke cursed, his fingers flying across the keyboard. "C'mon! Scan already!" The computers activated their Zodiarts scanners honed in the gymnasium where the new signal had popped up. It felt like an eternity for the sensors in the cameras to compile the data derived from the Zodiarts' energy and finally give a readout.

_Scan Complete._

_Subject: Aquila Zodiarts_

_Model#: 05_

_Power Levels: Minimal_

_Last One: Dormant_

"So it's Aquila this time," Sasuke frowned. "Zeus' delivery boy. Damn."

"What should we do Sasuke-kun?" asked Sakura. "We don't have the Driver or even a Foodroid to try and distract it for more time!"

Sasuke grit his teeth, trying to think of something as he began pulling up live video feeds of the Zodiart to try and see what it was capable of, "If we're lucky, the one who took the Fourze Driver will show up to try and stop it."

"Huh?" Sakura gaped. "Can...can we even be sure of that?"

"We don't have a choice," the last Uchiha frowned. "He stopped the Heracles Zodiarts before so maybe he'll go after Aquila too."

Sakura frowned in worry before turning her gaze back to the monitor.

* * *

**Konoha Gakuen - Gymnasium**

Naruto had to sneak through the crowds and dodge two teachers before he slipped inside the gymnasium through one of the emergency exits. Dashing past the red doors, he came to a stop at the basketball court where the source of the commotion had Ino in it's clutches.

The beast looked like a bird in humanoid form. It's torso looked like it was encased in bronze with dark brown feathers shoulders with bright red tips. It's arms were feathered like its shoulders but its hands were encased in further bronze styled like bird talons. It wore a bronze kilt on its waist with feathered legs and bronze-encrusted feet. Finally, it's head was styled after a fierce hawk's with a black hooked beak and a violent yellow eye. Completing the image was a pair of feathers wings which turned more crimson as they went down. In the centre of the Zodiarts' chest was a blue gemstone which had blue lines running in the four cardinal directions. The one heading down stopped on the kaijin's kilt with a smaller blue stone. The lines heading left and right headed over the monster's shoulders and onto its wings with gems on the wing joints. The left side had a smaller gem right next to it. On the monster's torso on the right side was a smaller gem which connected the southern gem and the one on the right wing. The line heading up curved along the neck before ending in a gemstone at the back of the Zodiarts' neck. From there, a line connected to a larger gemstone that acted like an eyepatch over the left eye with another line connecting to a final gemstone on the Zodiarts' beak.

This was a Zodiarts hailing from the Northern Sky, Aquila.

The Aquila Zodiarts was holding Ino's neck in it's bronze grip, holding her off the floor with ease as she struggled to breathe while slapping at the monster's wrist. Her strikes proved futile against the monster's strength.

"_What makes you so popular?_" the Zodiarts asked in a dark voice with a sniff. "_All you do is date around...probably sleep aro__und too. What makes you so much more well-known than me?_" It lifted the cheerleader up higher, causing her to choke. "_Tell me! Why is it people talk so much about a tramp like you!-?_"

hearing Ino's choking become Worse, Naruto immediately looked for something to help. Spotting a basketball nearby, likely dropped by students who were playing a pickup game, he picked it up before hurling it at the Zodiarts. The whiskered blonde's aim was true as it bounced directly off the monster's head, making it grunt in surprise and drop Ino to the floor, "_Who did that?-!_"

"You know," Naruto spoke loudly, getting the Aquila Zodiarts' attention. "Ero-sennin might be a perv but if there's one thing that he's said that I agree with, it's that you don't raise a hand against a lady unless your life is at risk. So out of principle I'm just going to have to kick your ass."

"*cough! cough!* N-Naruto?" Ino gagged, struggling to get her breath back.

"_Hmph! As if the school idiot can even match me!_" the Zodiarts snorted, apparently recognizing Naruto from reputation alone.

"Oh man, another person with a stick up their ass," Naruto frowned. Reaching into his jacket, he grabbed the Fourze Driver and pulled it out. "Ino, you'd better get out of here. Things are going to get pretty rough in a minute!"

Still coughing, Ino obeyed the command and made a break for the door. The Aquila Zodiarts didn't seem concerned with her escape, but the snooty way it talked made it seem in Naruto's mind that this particular Zodiart thought that it could find her again because it's abilities were 'so' superior. Still, Naruto himself didn't comment on it since he had a job to do. So instead, he strapped the Driver to his waist before hitting the switches across the front, activating the system.

"**T****HREE...**"

"**TWO...**"

"**ONE...**"

"Henshin!"

* * *

**Rabbit Hutch**

Sasuke's eyes widened as he saw the screen give him an image of Fourze along with the status of the armor and its wearer. He then smiled. Now he'd be able to tell just who had gotten his hands on the armour. Scrolling back to the image where the Aquila Zodiarts was threatening a cheerleader, he saw a blonde-haired student run into the gymnasium befre throwing a basketball at the monster. Some words were apparently exchanged before the cheerleader made a break for it. The figue drew out the Fourze Diriver and activated it. Sasuke quickly changed the angle of the camera so he could see the person's face...

"EHHHHH?-!" Sakura's cry echoed out, having seen the same image on her terminal. "Is that...Naruto?-!"

Sasuke's face matched Sakura's in sheer shock, "How the hell did the class idiot manage to get in here and find the Driver? No, scratch that, how the hell did he even figure out how to use it?-! He flunked all the computer courses the school has!"

"I-I-I don't know!" Sakura continued to gape. "D-Don't tell me he plans to fight that Zodiarts though!"

* * *

**Konoha Gakuen - Gymnasium**

Naruto was engulfed in the white energy created by the rings of metal, sending steam in all directions. The armour formed over his body and solidified, marking his change into Fourze once again. emerging from the steam, he stared down the Aquila Zodiarts through his orange lenses.

"Alright! UCHU KITA, DATTEBAYO!" Fourze cried, raising his arms into the air. Looking to the Zodiarts, he pointed at it threateningly. "Let's settle this, just you and me!"

"_Hmph! Idiot!_" the Aquila Zodiarts snorted. Raising its fists, it charged towards Fourze with the intent of ending the battle quickly and violently. Fourze charged back, not intimidated by the monster's rush. The two met in the basketball court with the Zodiarts taking a swing at Fourze with its bronze fist. Fourze dipped underneath the blow, swinging at the Zodiarts' chest as he went only to meet with a clanging noise.

"Ow!" he grimaced, rolling away from the Zodiarts to massage his hand. "Man, it's like fighting that Heracles Zodiarts all over again without my suit! Ow!" Grumbling he stared down the enemy Zodiart again. "Okay, so avoid the bronze parts. I can do that!"

Fourze clenched his fists and charged at the Zodiarts once again. He threw a flurry of punches towards it's face which the kaijin blocked with its bronze-covered fists with the sounds of metal hitting metal. Frustrated, Fourze tried several kicks, only to be met in the same way by the Zodiarts' own feet.

"_I told you that the school idiot can't stop me,_" the Aquila Zodiarts sniffed.

"Heh! There's more to being smart than just book smart!"Fourze retorted, dodging a punch from the Zodiarts to get more space. "If one thing doesn't work, I'll just try something new!" He reached to his belt and hit the blue Number 2 switch.

"_**LAUN-CHER-ON!**_"

Blue energy raced around Fourze's right leg, forming pieces of a new module. The parts then connected to his leg, forming a blue box-like machine which covered his rig up to his knee and had a side panel revealing five missiles loaded inside.

"All right! Now we talking!" Fourze grinned, watching the Zodiarts flinch. "Okay, FIRE!" Fourze hit a switch on a piece of the Launcher Module that was level with his knee. The five white rockets flared to life and launched themselves through the air, seemingly spiralling erratically with their white smoke streams. The Zodiarts shrieked and shielded itself with its arms, but it quickly found that it needn't have worried. The missiles flew past it in all directions, exploding against the walls and leaving chunks of concrete and rebar missing while one actually took out the scoreboard. The Aquila Zodiart blinked and looked at the destruction before looking back at Fourze.

"You've gotta be kidding me!" the Rider groaned. "All that space-age technology and it can't even aim right! Come on!"

* * *

**Rabbit Hutch**

"Ugh. What an idiot," Sasuke groaned. How could he not have known that the Launcher Module needed to have the user absolutely certain of his target point or the Radar Module to send the missiles? Without the Radar, you had to concentrate on the target, not just look at it and aim your leg in the right direction. "That wouldn't have happened if it was me."

Sakura just grimaced at the destruction, seeing how unused to the Astro Switches that this Fourze was. Glancing to see if Sasuke was still looking at the screen, she then pulled up another screen before she began typing in a message which she swiftly sent to the Fourze HUD.

* * *

**Konoha Gakuen - Gymnasium**

Fourze frowned and prepared to try and launch another missile barrage at the Zodiarrts who seemed to be more amused at the last stunt when it happened. A window popped up in his HUD which began typing out a message.

'_The Launcher Module requires you to either concentrate on your target or use the Radar Module to lock on. Since you're still new with the suit, use Radar. It's switch Number 4! Hurry!_'

"Huh?" Fourze blinked. "Hinata-chan must have gotten to that moon base! Okay!" Reaching to his belt, he hit the gray Number 4 switch to activate it's module.

"_**RA-DAR-ON!**_"

The gray energy formed into the familiar pieces of the Radar Module and solidified on Fourze's left arm. Aiming it at the Aquila Zodiarts, Fourze hit one of the buttons, making the screen come to life and zoom in on the Zodiarts. The screen flashed green before a targeting reticule appeared around the monster with the words LOCKED ON flashing across the screen.

"Okay! Locked on!" he grinned. "Now, fire two!"

For a second time the five white missiles launched from the blue machine. This time, they flew in straight even lines rather than moving in random directions. This time the Zodiarts didn't get off easy as it was pelted by the missiles, causing numerous explosions which sent it screaming through the air. The kaijin screamed in pain as it was sent sailing into the far war, hitting with a heavy thud.

"Ha! Not bad for the dead last!" Fourze grinned behind his mask. "Now let's rip out that Switch of yours!" Fourze started running at the Zodiarts before using the propulsion pack on his back to launch himself into the air. Almost touching the ceiling, he hit the first and third switches on his belt.

"_**RO-CKET-ON!**_"

"_**DRILL-ON!**_"

Orange energy flared over his right arm to form the Rocket Module which his left leg was appointed with the Drill Module. Aiming the tips of both machines at the recovering Aquila Zodiarts, he reached to his Enter Lever and gave it a sharp tug.

"_**ROCKET-DRILL-LIMIT BREAK!**_"

"OKAY! ROCKET DRILL KICK!" Fourze bellowed, the Rocket Module roaring into overdrive as the piercing power of the Drill Module increased significantly. He cut through the air with the aim to pierce the Zodiarts through its torso. At first the machines looked like they would do the job, but as Fourze came down closer to his target the Rocket and Drill Modules suddenly stalled before they both returned to coloured energy and vanished.

"Wagh!" the Kamen Rider cried out, dropping to the floor and rolling to a stop with a grunt and a groan. "Ow! What the hell?-!"

The Aquilia Zodiarts was in pain and confused, but it still remained capable of seizing an opportunity. With a grunt, it got to its feet before spreading its wings out. With a flap of the feathered limbs before taking into the air. It didn't hesitate for a moment before soaring at one of the windows, smashing through to freedom in the open sky.

"Dammit..." Fourze grunted, standing up. Hitting the switches on the belt, he shut down the system in a flash of light as he removed the Driver from his waist. "What the hell was that? It didn't do that last time!"

"The Astro Switches got low on energy dobe."

Naruto turned to see who had spoke, finding a pair of people who had entered the gym from another emergency exit. One was the familiar form of Sakura Haruno, a girl who always made his day when he got a glimpse of her. The one who was approaching him was the less welcome face of Sasuke Uchiha. One look at him guaranteed a scowl on Naruto's own.

"Sasuke...Sakura-chan..." Naruto frowned. "You guys know about this stuff?"

"We should," Sasuke frowned, stopping a few feet from Naruto. "We've been waiting for the Zodiarts to pop up for over a year now. We've been looking for the Fourze Driver for even longer. As much as I want to know just how the heck you got it, I want you to hand it over even more."

"Hand it over?" asked Naruto. "You mean to recharge the Switches?"

"No," Sasuke shook his head. "You hand it over as in you give it to me and forget you ever had it."

"Please do what he says Naruto," pleaded Sakura. "Sasuke-kun's been training to fight the Zodiarts for over a year now and he knows the systems back and forth. You're brand new to everything that includes the suit and you barely know what you're doing."

"Are you serious?" Naruto frowned, tightening his grip. "You expect me to just give up fighting those Zodiarts freaks just because you said so? Have you even been seeing all the crap they pull?"

"Yeah and I intend to stop it," Sasuke retorted. "Now give up the Driver before you just end up hurting yourself with it. The class dobe doesn't stand a chance of getting anywhere against the Zodiarts."

"Oi, watch it teme!" Naruto scowled, his eyes narrowed on the last Uchiha. "I've beaten one already and if the Switches hadn't run out of juice then I would have beaten that other one too! That's way more than you!"

"Only because you lucked out and got the Driver first," Sasuke retorted, his dark eyes narrowing at Naruto's own. "And because of how clueless you are the Zodiarts got away."

"If it weren't for me then Ino might be dead by now!" Naruto snapped. "Course I wouldn't expect a teme like you to care! Since when do you give a damn about anyone anyway! You're probably only going out with Sakura-chan to convince your board of trustees that you're mentally stable anyway!"

"Naruto!" Sakura scolded, but Sasuke's eyes narrowed even further in anger.

It was no secret that Naruto and Sasuke didn't like each other. Most would have assumed it was because Sasuke managed to start a relationship with Sakura without even trying when Naruto had done his damn hardest to show Sakura he was a good guy to go out with. Their dislike of one another started in Junior high before the Uchiha Massacre. Naruto was the one who lost his parents and raised by his godfather who made sure Naruto worked for everything he got since he was as cheap as they came. Sasuke on the other hand seemed to get it all handed to him on a silver platter from everyone simply because of his last name. Worse yet, Sasuke acted like he was entitled to it. Oh Naruto was sympathetic for Sasuke's family plight and never brought it up in their verbal matches, but even afterwards Sasuke seemed to expect that everything he got was supposed to be his in the first place and wasted it being his usual broody apathetic self. Naruto would have treated Sakura like a princess and would have made sure she knew she was cared for every chance he got. Sasuke on the other hand looked like he barely noticed her half the time in school. He was her boyfriend for crying out loud! Act like it!

In any case, Naruto wasn't about to hand over something he earned simply because a mighty Uchiha told him to.

"Last chance dobe," Sasuke growled. "Hand over the Driver."

"Make me Teme," Naruto frowned back.

The two stared each other down for a second that stretched into an infinity. Sakura stared on for that eternity, completely unsure as to what to do. She needn't have bothered to try. From an unknown signal, Uchiha and Uzumaki charged at one another with enraged battle cries and their fists raised back for attacks.

*KRACK!*

**To Be Continued...**

**A/N: Well, here's my Naruto/Fourze story. We see the arrival of another Zodiarts but ****also we see that Hinata and Naruto weren't the only ones who were in the know about the Rabbit Hutch, Fourze, and the Zodiarts. It also seems Sasuke and Naruto's rivalry has just turned violent after what appears to be a length of mounting frustration. Wh****at a time for it to boil over.**

**Know Your Prefectures:**

**Amenokuni Prefecture: A more industrialized prefecture compared to most of the others, industry being one of the only means of income that the prefecture has. Due to it's positioning in the lands, Amenokuni can be found beneath a jetstreams which cause storms and rain to constantly come down with sunny days being few and far between. As such, any other means of income such as tourism or farming is very, very rare and difficult. The Ame Technical School does offer a praiseworthy education in the modern tools an dprocesses concerning manufacturing and tooling.**

**Kusanokuni Prefecture: A rural prefecture which is more flat grasslands that city. It offers expanses of fresh farmland and some of their main exports include bamboo, fruit, and vegtables. Surprisingly, Kusa holds both the Kusa Finishing School for Boys and Girls which many dignitaries send their children to for lessons and schooling in politcal areas such as diplomacy, law, and analysis. It aslo holds the Kusa Centre of Agricultural Stuides where research into the latest farming techniques are made.**

**Takinokuni Prefecture: A cliff and waterfall populated country which is naturally difficult to navigate for people outside of the prefecture. This prefecture holds numerous resevoirs of natural water which is exported to the other countries for it's health advantages thanks to its purity and the nutrients which can be found in it. The captial of Takigakure can be found at a giant tree which is situated on top of the largest out of all the resevoirs. Rumors coming out of the prefecture whisper that in the resevoir under Takigakure is so full of nutrints that every one hundred years the water becomes so enriched that drinking it can purge all toxins from one's body and even enhance their bodily functions.**

**Otonokuni Prefecture. Formerly known as Tanokuni Prefecture, the land's former export was rice thanks to the marshy terrain allows for the growth of large and various types of rice. However, the name change was brought on by reasons unknown and what policy changes it brings has yet to be seen. The renamed capitol of Otogakure is likewise unknown in terms of schools and means of bringing income. Further examination will be needed in connection to this prefecture.**


	3. To Pluck a Star

I do not own Kamen Rider Fourze or Naruto. Those belong to their respective creators and not me. I am only writing this for fun. If you like it then please enjoy and if you don't then I'm sorry you feel that way. I can't make you read or like this.

Kamen Rider Fourze: Cosmic Maelstrom

By Ten-Faced Paladin

Chapter 3: To Pluck a Star

Sakura Haruno winced as she watched her boyfriend Sasuke Uchiha punch Naruto Uzumaki in the face at precisely the same time that Naruto slugged Sasuke. Both were still for a moment, likely out of shock before the pair began tearing into one another. Punches and kicks were thrown to various degrees of effectiveness. Sasuke had plenty of training in martial arts, but all of his fights were in dojos and controlled conditions. Naruto on the other hand was an avid street fighter, someone who was in real fights. He may not have had real skill, but he had experience and that allowed him to keep up with Sasuke's blows.

The brawl in the gym had started when the Aquila Zodiarts had tried to target Ino for some grudge. Sasuke and Sakura were unable to do anything about it, having to means of countering the attack since the Fourze Driver had gone missing from the Rabbit Hutch's hiding place. To their shock, Naruto had revealed himself as the one using it and fought the Aquila Zodiarts. The battle could have gone either way, but then the Astro Switches ran out of power. That was when Sasuke and Sakura managed to reach the gym and asked for the Driver back. Well Sasuke more or less demanded it which Naruto certainly didn't appreciate. Things devolved into a fight from there.

'_Sasuke-kun's bluntness strikes again,_' Sakura thought to herself. '_Honestly, can't those two be more mature about this?_'

Sakura really didn't have anything against Naruto even back in their Junior High days. He was...just not what she was looking for in a boyfriend. She had to give him credit for not giving up and trying to show off his good points though. Although she usually ended up giving him a knuckle sandwich if he ended up trying too hard. He had his good points, but the pinkette would be the first to admit she didn't have the patience for the blonde.

Now it seemed that Sasuke and Naruto were clashing in one of the worst ways.

The brawl continued before Sakura's eyes, watching as Sasuke used the martial arts knowledge he knew to knock Naruto around, leaving the blonde's face bruised with a bloody nose. As unlikely as it seemed though, Naruto was getting his own licks in. His instincts let him make his own charges at Sasuke and get his own hits in. Most would have simply dismissed Naruto as a fighter when faced with someone who actually learned how to fight in martial arts but he was holding his own and giving as good as he got. It simply went to show that when Naruto got involved in anything, no one was sure what was going to happen.

Sasuke grunted as he got another blow to the ribs before he kicked Naruto in the side, knocking the blonde away. Panting, Sasuke wiped his lip to find blood from a cut. Frowning, he looked to the scowling Naruto, "Dobe, you really have no idea what you stuck your nose in do you?"

"What's to know?" Naruto frowned. "Zodiarts are bad news and Fourze can kick their asses. I have the Driver so I'm going to make sure those weirdos don't go around messing people up!"

Sasuke grunted, "That's not even the tip of the iceberg. You don't have a clue what's going on."

"Then spit it out!" Naruto frowned.

"Your dobe brain wouldn't be able to handle it," the last Uchiha snorted. "Just hand over the Fourze Driver already. I'll take care of the Zodiarts."

"Oh yeah?" the blonde frowned. "What are you going to do? Bribe the Zodiarts away? You've never fought for anything in your life!"

"Naruto!" Sakura scolded from the sidelines. Honestly, what was getting into the pair? They never tore into each other like this before! Whenever they got into one of their schoolyard spats they never resorted to such cutting insults before. Some name calling and maybe some punches were thrown but they never tried insulting one another about how their lives went before.

"People's lives are at stake!" Naruto snapped, giving an answer to Sakura's unspoken question. "I'm not going to sit by and let people get hurt by some hopped up monster with a grudge when Teme here treats this like a day job and couldn't care less about the people who could get hurt!"

"This is a war you dobe, people always get hurt," Sasuke frowned.

"Yeah and that's why I'm not giving this Driver up," Naruto gestured to the device on his waist. "I don't care if it's war or not. I'm not going to let people get caught in the crossfire."

Sasuke scowled and took another stance, "Then I guess I'm just going to have to take it after all."

Naruto cracked his knuckles, "Try it Teme!"

Sakura winced as she saw the two preparing to fight again...

"STOP IIIIIIIIIIITT!"

Sasuke and Naruto froze and turned their heads towards the source of the disrupting scream. To both their surprises, they found themselves looking at Hinata. The heiress was panting at the door of the gym, her face flushed and not entirely from exertion. She felt mortified that she had to scream like she did and brought so much attention to herself, but she couldn't stand watching Naruto and Sasuke fight with..so...so much anger and rising hate. It didn't suit Naruto's personality at all and she didn't like seeing him that way.

"Just...please stop," Hinata murmured.

Naruto blinked at seeing Hinata, honestly surprised at seeing her throw herself into anything. Still, seeing her look so flushed and looking rather upset it made him feel like he was about to kick a puppy. It served to drain the will to fight out of him.

"Tsk," Sasuke huffed, seeing that Naruto wasn't going to be fighting. Looking to Hinata, he frowned, "Don't tell me you're in on this too."

"Y-yes," Hinata nodded. "I know about Fourze and the Zodiarts too."

"Perfect," Sasuke sighed. He walked up to Naruto who scowled at him before he yanked the Fourze Driver from Naruto's waist. The blonde growled, but his refusal to upset Hinata more than he had kept him from doing anything. Sasuke placed the driver in his jacket before regarding Hinata, "Well I'm telling you what I told the dobe; stay out of this. There is a whole lot more going on than just some students with stupid grudges that lucked into power."

"Teme..." Naruto growled.

"Go back to your lives and pretend you didn't see anything," Sasuke warned. "You'll just get in the way otherwise." Turning away from the pair, he headed for the exit to the gym. Naruto glared at his back, all but silently hoping lasers would shoot out and fry the last Uchiha. Alas, nothing happened and he left unscathed.

"Sasuke-kun," Sakura sighed, shaking her head. Biting her lip, she looked regretfully to Naruto. "I'm sorry about him Naruto. Really. But he is right about one thing. There is a whole lot more going on here than just a new dangerous fad going around. Sasuke-kun's been training a long time to fight it. He can handle it. He can keep everyone safe. I promise."

"Does he have to be such a jerk about it?" Naruto asked in irritation.

"It's just his way," Sakura winced, knowing how blunt her boyfriend could be. Turning, she headed for the exit after Sasuke, but stopped to glance back at the blonde and the heiress that was approaching him. "Oh yeah, it's good to see that you finally got a girlfriend. Maybe she can keep you on the straight and narrow so I don't have to." Grinning, she left.

"What?-!" Naruto gaped, flushing. He immediately took off running after the pinkette, "Wait Sakura-chan! Hinata-chan and I are just friends! Honest!"

Hinata was left stunned, her face an atomic red again, '_Do people think Naruto-kun and I are a couple? Ooooooh, now I've embarrassed him! Even if I wish it were true..._' she lost focus on the world around her as she was torn between being embarrassed for embarrassing Naruto or secretly feeling giddy that others thought they made for a nice couple.

* * *

The aftermath of the attack of the Aquila Zodiarts was...mixed. A lot of the people who heard of it simply assumed that it was some fanatic who had it out for Konoha Gakuen and dressed up in a bird costume to get some payback for something. They had to take the attack seriously though since so much destruction happened with some explosions. The cops had been called in to investigate the incident, but with so many people crying bird man there wasn't much solid testimony to go around.

Naruto kept his head down whenever the explosions were brought up.

Ino would tell anyone who listened about how she was attacked. She would briefly mention how Naruto distracted the thing, but would focus more on her own personal trauma. One may have wanted to question Naruto on his version of events, but more people wanted to hear about the monster and Ino's victimization at its hands. So any cool points Naruto may have gotten on being Ino's saviour were never counted.

Naruto got a bit grumpy after hearing that. Many bowls of ramen met their demise to soothe his anger.

Still, Naruto's mind was trained on the Aquila Zodiarts and where it might be headed next. It hadn't appeared since that one time it tried to get Ino. With Konoha Gakuen still under police supervision though, that may be why it hadn't returned.

So Naruto's question was: Where did the overgrown chicken go?

* * *

**Rabbit Hutch**

"Well, looks like the police are finally finished with their investigation," Sakura commented, watching the last of the police pack up their equipment to head out.

"About time," Sasuke muttered, going over some data. "Maybe now with the cops leaving Aquila will show up again and we can get a lead."

"At least the Astro Switches are recharged," Sakura offered. "The police presence gave us time to do that much."

Sasuke merely grumbled, "We wouldn't have to do even that if the dobe didn't stick his nose into our business."

Sakura rolled her eyes at Sasuke's dismissal of Naruto. if it weren't for him they wouldn't even have the Fourze Driver to use in the first place and he had managed to take down a Zodiarts on his own. At least someone who could fight had been using it the right way instead of a thief or some coward. They never would have seen it again if that had been the case.

"Don't you think you were a little quick to dismiss Naruto and Hinata though?" asked the pinkette. "I mean, we could use some extra eyes around the school and I hear Naruto's got some connections with just about everybody in some way."

"We're fine on our own," the last Uchiha quickly dismissed the idea. "This is our problem and we're going to fix it. We don't need to bring in new people who don't have a clue as to what they are doing."

Sakura sighed, frowning at her boyfriend's back. Honestly, he was as stubborn as a mule! He just couldn't accept help from anybody and insisted he was fine by himself at anything he did. Even when it looked like help would be a good idea he still refused it. His apparent pride as an Uchiha wouldn't allow him to accept help. Sakura was trying to snap him out of that funk, but it was slow going. Now it seemed that bad habit of his was rising up at the worst time.

"This is going to bite us in the end somehow, I know it," Sakura muttered to herself.

'_We're two high school kids! Even if we have kick ass technology how much can we do? Stop being such an ass! SHANNARO!_' Sakura's hidden dark side shouted angrily.

* * *

**Konoha Gakuen - Hallways**

"Maahh, another boring day," Naruto groaned, trudging through the hallways of his school.

"Welcome to school life," Shikamaru yawned. "What a drag."

"Anyone feel like going to the pizza place after?" asked Chouji, munching on another bag of chips.

"Why do you even keep hanging out in this sausage fest Naruto?" asked Kiba, looking at Naruto while slinging his bag over his shoulder. "Don't you have that pretty Hyuuga girl to hang out with? Stop whining when you've got a hot girl like her waiting for you."

"We're just friends!" Naruto frowned. "Why does everyone keep saying that?"

"Because she's the only girl who seems capable of spending time around you without smacking you," Shikamaru answered. "Plus whenever you two are even near each other she breaks out in a blushing fit."

"She's just shy," Naruto insisted. "Like, really shy."

"As in she's talking to a guy she likes shy," Shikamaru retorted.

"As if," Naruto huffed. "Glad Ero-sennin didn't hear about her. He'd try giving me 'tips'," the blonde shuddered. "His birds and bees speech was horrifying. I didn't need to hear how his first time went with extreme detail and sound effects."

"Didn't need to hear that," Kiba grimaced. Looking down the hall, he took notice of a certain face. "Hey, there's your girl now. Why don't we put your denials to the test huh? Go say hi and we'll see how she reacts."

"Huh, that sounds like a decent idea," Shikamaru muttered. "Surprised you thought of it."

"Oi!"

"Whatever!" Naruto frowned. "Fine! I'll show you that Hinata-chan and I are just friends! I say hi to her all the time!"

"Heh, 2,000 yen says she faints," Kiba wagered.

"You're on," Chouji answered.

"Why not," Shikamaru agreed.

Naruto scowled at his friends before he strolled over to where Hinata was looking over some papers. Ignoring Kiba's snickers, he stode to meet with his friend, "Hey Hinata-chan!"

"Ah!" the heiress gasped before turning to see Naruto. Her cheeks immediately lit up. "N-Naruto-kun, um, h-hello."

"What are you looking at?" asked the blonde, leaning slightly to try and get a better look at her papers. "Notes or something."

"U-um, sort of," Hinata mumbled, folding the papers up. The notes were in fact everything she recalled about the Astro Switches and the Zodiarts. She remembered the data from the moon station and wanted to compile it all. She wanted to share it with Naruto, but was afraid that it may be wrong and risk his health. Now that he couldn't be Fourze anymore, there wasn't much of a point.

"Ah, cool," Naruto nodded. "Oh, Ayame-neechan's been asking about you over at Ichiraku's. She's hoping you'll drop by again. Want to do that sometime?"

To Naruto, it sounded like a simple offer to hang out with a friend. To Hinata, and several who were overhearing, it sounded like something more. The heiress' face lit up like a cherry, clenching her books to her chest, "R-r-r-really? T-t-t-together?"

"Sure," Naruto shrugged. "Why not?"

Hinata's mind whirled. Was Naruto asking her out on a date? Was she dreaming because she fainted or something? No, she couldn't get distracted! She had to answer before he took back the offer!" O-o-o-o-o-okay."

Naruto flashed her his sunny smile, "Great. Let me know when you want to go and we can go."

Hinata nodded her head rapidly, not trusting herself to speak even as her face burned like a tomato. Still grinning, Naruto turned and headed back to his friends so he could set the record straight. Approaching the trio, he looked at them expectantly, "Well?"

"Well what?" Shikamaru frowned. "If you weren't going out with her before, it sure looks like you are now."

"Man Naruto, way to score a date without even trying," Chouji complemented. "I wish I had that kind of confidence."

"Heh, gotta admit, you got taste," Kiba grinned. "She's a hottie. Way to aim high man!"

"Huh?" Naruto blinked. "Wait, didn't I just tell you guys that-!"

THUD!

Naruto blinked, turning when he heard the distinct sound of a body hitting the floor. There on the floor was Hinata, passed out and dead to the world with a cloud of steam rising from her head. Immediately, Naruto began to panic, running to her side, "Ah! Hinata-chan! Are you okay? Wake up!"

"Cha-ching baby! 2000 yen!" Kiba cheered. "Pay up suckers!"

"Troublesome," Shikamaru muttered, forking over the cash.

"Sucker bet. I always fall for those," Chouji sighed, doing the same.

* * *

The gossip soon spread out all over the school. The previously thought silent and cold heiress Hinata Hyuuga was apparently dating the school delinquent Naruto Uzumaki. As with any gossip of course, the various hierarchies of the school each had their own opinions on the issue. The rich and popular kids whom felt Hinata was supposed to be part of their group merely saw it as Hinata rebelling against her family. The rough and tumble students felt Naruto was reaching for godhood at dating a rich heiress and would either fail epically or become epic. The jocks had all seen Hinata and figured Naruto was just trying to get her out of her clothes. The cheerleaders and other preppy girls just thought that Naruto was trying to take advantage of the poor girl. Plenty of students thought it was a star-crossed romance akin to Romeo and Juliet. Half of them thought it was doomed to failure. The rest of the students didn't really care. They had school work or hobbies to worry about.

Naruto was finding himself being congratulated on snagging the hot heiress where so many rich guys failed to do so. Said rich guys looked ready to throttle him for trying to even speak to Hinata when he was so 'low class'. He took exception to some of the local perverts when they asked how far he had gotten with her and if her boobs were as big as they suspected. Infirmary trips soon followed. Shizune actually teased him when they passed in the halls, congratulating him on finally finding a good girl to try settling down with.

Hinata was likewise facing pressures of her own. Girls she rarely or never spoke to before began asking her why on earth she wanted Naruto when so many other rich and handsome boys tried wooing her in the past. Many tried to convince her to break ties with Naruto completely. Others were more encouraging, although she was sure when Principal Tsunade passed her in the halls, she felt the woman examining her like she had x-ray vision or something. Hinata also took extra care to avoid her cousin Neji. She didn't want to get scolded by him if she could avoid it.

Gossip was all well and good, being the lifeblood of the social scene in high school. That aside, there was one person in particular who did not take the thought of a wallflower and a nobody being so popular all of a sudden.

* * *

**Konoha Gakuen - Entry Hall**

"Man, perverts are all I run into," Naruto grumbled as he exchanged his indoor shoes for his outdoor ones. He had been asked so many times by people he didn't know about Hinata's taste in underwear and the size of her boobs. Naruto split his knuckles from punching so many of the perverts. "Somehow I bet Ero-sennin is involved. I just know it."

He and Hinata were just friends, that was all. He even asked her out to hang out, not to go on a date. Why did people have to jump to conclusions and misunderstand things? Were they just too lazy to get the facts or what?

Yes folks, Naruto is pretty dense when it comes to things outside of fighting and ramen. Anyway, he just wanted to discuss with her on who the Zodiarts could be. What kind of a person would hold a grudge against Ino that they would willingly let themselves turn into monsters? Well, that and have an excuse to drop by Ichiraku's again.

Tying his outdoor shoes, Naruto began trying to suss out the latest Zodiarts' problem, "Okay, so it hates Ino. Not sure why," Ino was the kind of person even Naruto knew since she somehow always drew attention to herself. Mostly she was the girl was was on the latest trends and was the first in the class to develop boobs apparently. She wouldn't stop bragging about that when it happened. Her personality could grate on a lot of people, but Naruto didn't think it was enough to just hate her to the point of killing her.

So, he just needed to watch her closely and wait. But how to do it without looking like a stalker? Furthermore, how was he going to fight the Zodiarts without the Fourze Driver? That teme Sasuke took it!

"Should have punched him harder," Naruto muttered under his breath. "Ah well, who needs the thing! I can kick plenty of ass without it! I just have to think up of some new moves or something!" Now he just wanted to just get some ramen with Hinata. Ramen was good but ramen shared with friends always seemed to taste better. Plus, ramen always made him feel better when he was angry.

Ramen was truly the Food of the Gods!

Shutting the door to his locker, Naruto headed out to see if he could find Hinata and see if she was available for that Ichiraku he exited the school building proper, he was suddenly stopped when he saw someone waitng for him outside. They had the pale eyes indicating a Hyuuga, but it wasn't Hinata.

"You and I need to have words, Naruto Uzumaki," Neji Hyuuga frowned.

'_Well shit,_' Naruto thought sourly to himself. Ichiraku's seemed to be much farther away.

* * *

**Konoha Gakuen - Classroom 2-S**

Hinata stifled a petite yawn as she placed the last of her school supplies in her bag. The day had been long and tiring with people bugging her about her relationship with Naruto. Many of them told her that she was crazy and should try to aim for a more respectable boy. Others told her to trust her heart and never look back. She wanted to say that they were just friends, even if she hoped that it was a date to Ichiraku's that he asked her out on. She wanted to go with him so badly, but at the moment her father had insisted she come straight home after school. Hearing that a boy tried to take advantage of her made Hinata's father increase all of the restrictions he had on her movements, making her feel more constrained than ever. After feeling at least a little freedom while at that little ramen stand with her crush, Hinata found herself yearning for more.

A click from the door alerted Hinata that someone was entering, likely someone from a club who used the classroom as a meeting place, "Ah, sorry. I was just leaving."

"That's fine," a female voice spoke from the door. "I was hoping to...talk."

Walking into the classroom was a slender girl named Ami. Her face was rather plain with large brown eyes and an asymmetrical haircut of purple hair that hung down one side of her face. Hinata didn't know her all that well, but considering how shy she was that wasn't too surprising. Hinata's circle of friends was rather small after all.

Still, if one asked about Ami they wouldn't have been able to get much about Ami. She was one of the people who tended to blend in and not stand out too much. She did have a history with Sakura and Ino though, having been one of the main bullies who mocked Sakura's forehead in the past before Ino would chase her off. Still, Ami like most children grew and matured into a young woman and left her bully days behind save for when she lost her temper.

"Um...Ami-san?" Hinata blinked, looking at her fellow student.

"I just don't get it," Ami muttered with a frown. "I study, I schmooze, I play the part. I bust my ass and yet somehow I'm always overlooked. People are always talking about Ino's good looks, Sakura's brains, Tenten's athletic wins. I try to be sporty, I try to be smart, I try to be pretty, and I try to be social. Yet..." her eyes turned distant. "Yet everything I do, I'm always overlooked for someone else."

"Um...I'm sorry?" Hinata blinked, feeling rather confused. Was Ami looking for a sympathetic ear? Hinata could try, but she wasn't sure how much help she'd be.

Ami didn't seem to have heard Hinata as she continued to talk, "My parents always said that success breeds success. The only way to get ahead is to never lose. Yet, everything I try and no matter how hard I try I never seem to win. Now I hear that despite all of my efforts to be the social butterfly everyone wants to see, the quiet wallflower Hinata Hyuuga has become the talk of the school just because she finally decided to date somebody."

"Ah! Uh...that's..." Hinata flushed brightly.

"Normally I'd be pissed," Ami sighed, beginning to walk through the rows of desks. "After so much work I was overlooked again." she smiled. "Now though, I have something which changes the game entirely. Why bother trying outplay my opponents when I can just take them out of the game?"

Ami reached into her pocket for something and brought her clenched hand out, holding it horizontally towards Hinata. Ami's smirk then grew as she opened her hand, revealing a bronze and black switch with a red button on top.

"That's-!" Hinata gasped.

"My key to everything!" Ami sneered, gripping the Zodiarts Switch. She then jammed her thumb onto the button, making a clicking sound that was as final as a guillotine blade striking to Hinata's ears. Ami's body was swallowed by a black void which spat out the constellation Aquila. The stars then sank back into the void, making it vanish. Emerging from it was the form of the Aquila Zodiarts.

Hinata staggered back in shock at what she'd just witnessed. Ami was the Aquila Zodiarts!

"_Now it's time for you to get out of my way!_" the Zodiarts snarled, stalking towards Hinata.

* * *

**Rabbit Hutch**

"_ALERT! ZODIARTS DETECTED! ALERT! ZODIARTS DETECTED!"_

The alarms rang out, snapping Sasuke and Sakura up from their work. Their monitoring stations likewise lit up with camera images of the interior of the school. Specifically, the classroom where the Aquila Zodiarts was stalking towards Hinata who was backing up against the window.

"Oh no!" Sakura gasped.

"Showtime," Sasuke smirked. Getting up, he dashed to the Fourze Driver that was connected to it's recharge station and loaded it up with the switches 1-4 before unhooking it. Weapon in hand, he dashed out the front door of the Rabbit Hutch and back into Konoha Gakuen.

His mission started now.

* * *

**Konoha Gakuen - Outside**

"I've been hearing some rumours considering you and Hinata-sama," Neji frowned at Naaruto as they stared down at one another. "Considering the possible damage to her reputation and that of the Hyuuga family, I must see if it is valid."

"This is about the rumours about me and her dating, isn't it?" Naruto frowned.

"It is," the bodyguard nodded. "You are aware that as a Hyuuga, Hinata-sama has an image she must retain."

"Look," Naruto groaned. "Hinata-chan and I are just friends! We're not dating. I like to hang out with her. She's cute and all, but with how she gets embarrassed every time someone thinks we're together I don't think she wants a relationship."

Neji raised an eyebrow, '_Is he really this dense?_' It was no secret that Hinata was crushing on the supposed delinquent. Plenty of the Hyuuga family members have tried to convince her to drop it in the past or in a few cases try to steer her towards a more respectable boy for a relationship. She never showed any interest, or rather was too shy to do or accept anything. It was hard to say which. Yet somehow, she went right back to pining after the blonde. Everyone knew it except him apparently. Still, if the blonde was keeping things platonic then maybe the Hyuuga Family didn't need to be so concerned for now.

Still, it was best to see what this blonde's intentions were and if they could harm the Hyuuga's reputation.

"And what do you intend to do with her as friends?" Neji questioned.

"Why else do people make friends?" Naruto asked rhetorically. "You've got friends, right? You tell me. Why do people make friends at all?"

Neji blinked, confused at the odd question and opened his mouth to answer...

"HELP!"

A scream cut him off, causing him and Naruto to look up at the school. Leaning out of the window was Hinata, looking terrified. She didn't stay there for long when she ducked, something smashing through the window where her head had been a moment ago. Naruto and Neji's eyes bulged when they saw the scene.

"Hinata-chan!"

"Hinata-sama!"

Casting differences aside, both young man dashed into the school to try and rescue their common companion before it was too late.

* * *

**Konoha Gakuen - Classroom 2-S**

Hinata whimpered as she crawled backwards away from the approaching Zodiarts whose bronze feet cracked ominously against the broken glass on the floor. She started having flashbacks to when the Heracles Zodiarts wanted to take her by force, only making her fear worse than before.

"Naruto-kun..." Hinata whimpered.

"_Oh, your little boyfriend isn't coming. I'd just kill him too even if he did,_" the Aquila Zodiarts laughed. It then raised a claw to strike her, "_Now say goodbye!_"

"I don't think so," a new voice rang out. The Aquila Zodiarts turned around to see Sasuke walking into the classroom as cool as ever like he wasn't staring down a monster. Clenched in his hand was the Fourze Driver, ready to use.

"_Well, well, well, Sasuke Uchiha,_" the Aquila Zodiarts snorted. "_You were on my hit list too. A shame I couldn't make you my boyfriend. I guess I'll have to go without like the rest of the school and your pretty little girlfriend._"

"Whatever," Sasuke snorted.

Sasuke put on the Fourze Driver and the belt wrapped around his waist, securing the device to his body. He flipped the red switches down and prepared to transform. The Aquila Zodiarts proved to have eagle eyes like her form suggested and easily recognized the device that the school hottie was wearing.

"_Wasn't the idiot using that?_" she spoke.

"The dobe was a flop with it," Sasuke smirked as the machine came to life. "I however, am not."

The Driver came to life with a mechanical call.

"**THREE!"**

"**TWO!"**

"**ONE!"**

"Henshin!" Sasuke pushed the Enter Lever. However, while he expected to be donned in armor, the belt instead let out a loud:

"**ERROR!"**

Immediately, Sasuke was blasted backwards as the Fourze Driver forced itself off his body. Sore and bewildered, Sasuke wondered why the hell the Fourze Driver didn't work for him. Could the Dobe had broken it or something? Great, just great. He wasn't even around and the blonde was still finding ways to louse up everything around the last Uchiha.

"_Aha, so it looks like your little toy isn't working so well anymore!_" the Aquila Zodiards gloated. "_Now, time to kill you, Sasuke Uchiha!_"

"MATTE!"

The Aquila Zodiarts was kicked upside the head by a familiar blonde knucklehead. The Zodiarts stumbled no so much from pain, but the unexpected weight of Naruto's body and the force of the kicking catching her off guard. It served to make her stumble into a bunch of desks, making them fall over.

"Huh, Dobe?" Sasuke blinked.

"_You!?_" the Aquila Zodiarts yelled, struggling to stand back up in her bulky bird-like body.

"I really can't let you kill him. He might be a jerk but even he has a right to live. Plus, I need to make friends with him," said Naruto. Walking to where the Fourze Driver was, he picked it up. He strapped the Driver onto his waist before flipping the red switches, letting the machine come to life a second time. "Now, let's do this!"

Dobe, you broke it! It doesn't work!" Sasuke snapped, standing up. Naruto however, didn't seem to hear him as the countdown to the transformation sounded off. Sasuke's words were drowned out by the Fourze Driver's mechanical voice.

"**THREE!"**

"**TWO!"**

"**ONE!"**

"Henshin!"

As the ring appeared and blasted energy down on Naruto to form the Fourze armor, Sasuke scowled. Just how was the blonde able to use it while he couldn't? As near as the Uchiha heir was willing to guess, the blonde must have damaged the Driver after all or did something to it to make the activation faulty. Why hadn't he seen it during the diagnostics?

Also, how could the blonde dobe even accomplish something so complex? He was an idiot and as computer savvy as a dog chasing its own tail.

"Yosh!" Fourze grinned, flexing his arms. Clenching his fists, he raised them into the air with a cheer, "UCHU KITA, DATTEBAYO!" Lowering his arms again, he took a fighting stance, "Okay Zodiarts! The name's Fourze so let's do this man to man!"

"_I'm a woman you idiot!_" the Aquila Zodiarts growled before charging at the Kamen Rider.

"Huh? Really?" Fourze blinked before the Zodiarts slashed at him, forcing him to begin dodging.

"_Don't insult me!_" shouted the Zodiarts.

As the brawl began, the door at the front of the room opened as Neji snuck inside. His eyes widened at the sight of a monster and armoured man fighting one another. Shaking off the shock, he looked to Hinata was cowering and dashed to her side, taking her arm, "Hinata-sama! We have to go!"

"W-wha-?" Hinata gasped before Nei began dragging her from the room. "W-wait! What about Naruto-kun?"

"We can deal with the delinquent later! Your safety comes first!" Neji retorted, taking Hinata from the room.

Meanwhile, Fourze and the Aquila Zodiarts began tearing into one another. Fourze remembered the last time that he fought the Zodiarts that the bronze portions were way tougher than even his punches in the empowering suit. So he kept aiming for it's head or blocking blows by striking the feathered portions of its limbs since the bronze portions still hurt like hell.

"Take this!" Fourze shouted, punching the Zodiarts across the face and making her stumble backwards into the chalkboard. "Ha ha! Had enough?" He would have approached the kaijin to fight more, but a ringing sound coming from the Driver made him look down to see the Radar Switch blinking. Confused, he activated it.

"_**RA-DAR-ON!**_"

The Radar Module materialized on Fourze's left arm and the screen showed Sakura's face.

"Huh, Sakura-chan?" Fourze asked.

"_Naruto? Is that you? Where's Sasuke-kun!?_" she asked as she recognized his voice. When the Fourze suit had been activated, she assumed that Sasuke had done it. She had not expected Naruto to be wearing the suit.

"Well, to be honest, he's here but the Driver didn't work for him," said Fourze. "Hey, can you call back later? I'm in the middle of something right now!"

"_Wait, what about Sasuke-kun!?_"

Fourze didn't answer as he hit the Radar Switch again, making the module disappear.

* * *

**Rabbit Hutch**

"He hung up on me!" shouted Sakura in disbelief. She calmed herself down, "OK, I should be able to send something that can help." She looked at the screen. "Hm, Power Dizer?"

* * *

**Konoha Gakuen - Outside**

Fourze and the Aquila Zodiarts both exited the room through the window and landed outside with a crash. Glass rained down on the pair of them from above, but their bodies were protected by the shards. Instead, they continued to take swipes at one another, making sparks fly from the impacts.

"_Gah!_" the Zodiarts screeched as she missed another attack, "_This is why I hate idiots! They never know when they should just stay down!_"

"I'm just persistent. Now, are you going to just turn off the switch already? We don't have to tear each other apart you know!" Fourze shouted.

"_Oh, it's too late for that! This is the only way and you're keeping me from what I deserve! Now just DIE!_" the Zodiarts screeched, flapping her wings and taking to the sky.

"Aw crap!" Fourze gulped. He reached down to the Fourze Driver and threw the Rocket Switch.

"_**ROC-KET-ON!**_**"**

The Rocket Module appeared on Fourze's arm, roaring to life and launching the Rider into the air. He flew at the Aquila Zodiarts who began using high speed moves to avoid his attacks. The pair flew around the sky, taking potshots at one another. Both met each other in the sky, crashing hard before starting a dive towards the ground. They struggled against one another before turning at the last moment, racing inches off the ground and leaving a cloud of dust in their wake.

"**Power Dizer!**"

The deep mechanical voice sounded off before something heavy struck the Zodiarts and Fourze by extension, sending them both sprawling through the air. Both crashed to the ground heavily, making long trenches is the dirt from their impacts.

"Ow," Fourze groaned, his Rocket Module deactivating. "What the heck was that?"

A mechanical whine cut through the air, making the Kamen Rider look up. His eyes bulged when he saw a large yellow mecha stomping towards the impact sight. It was slightly monkey-like with broad shoulders and feet shaped like wheels. The limbs hissed with hydraulic power that indicated a lot of strength in the mechanics. It reminded Fourze of those robots from another planet that could change into cars he once saw on television. "Holy crap!"

"_Calm down Dobe. It's just me_," Sasuke's voice echoed from the machine. Inside, Sasuke could be seen at the frame's controls but he was sweating. The inside of the machine was sweltering and the limbs of the robot were heavy. One would need exceptional endurance and strength to use it properly. Fortunately, Sasuke had trained himself for such conditions but even he had his limits. He'd have to hit the Zodiarts fast and hard.

"Sasuke?" Fourze gaped. "You mean...you mean you and Sakura-chan had a mecha lying around? Why the heck didn't you say anything?"

"_You didn't need to know,_" Sasuke replied. "_Now get out of the way so I can beat this Zodiarts._"

The Aquila Zodiarts groaned from her impact point, catching the pair's attention. Her body flashed with the void with the constellation appearing before vanishing and leaving Ami behind. She groaned and rubbed her head before sitting up.

"Holy crap!" Fourze gaped. "Ami?-!"

"_You know her?_" asked Sasuke.

"Who doesn't?" asked Fourze. "She's got like, a dozen special mentions in the yearbook. Everyone knows who she is. She's got friends in just about every group from the jocks to the nerds. Hell, she even got to know a bunch of my friends and everyone thinks they're losers and delinquents."

"_You guys ARE losers and delinquents,_" Sasuke deadpanned.

"Screw you Teme!" Fourze snapped. He then turned to Ami as he stood up. "Still, why are you doing this Ami? You're already popular. Why are you trying to hurt Ino and Hinata-chan?"

"Everyone knows me?" Ami frowned. "That's a lie! No one talks about me! No one recognizes me! No one will remember me! All the work I did to make connections is going to waste because everyone likes to talk about Ino, Hinata, or other people! No one thinks I'm good enough to be popular like them!"

"But Ami...you don't need to be talked about all the time to be popular!" Fourze argued. "That's gossip, rumours, and all sorts of stuff that people say about everybody! That's the flavour of the week! It dies down! You on the other hand are someone everyone likes. You're a common friend, someone that everyone knows! No one talks because there's no gossip! Everyone knows the stuff you managed to pull off! You've made more victories and wins during every special event than any star athlete we've got!"

Ami blinked at the passionate outcry. Over the course of her high school career, she had participated in numerous programs, special school events, and club activities when said clubs would sponsor events. She had indeed racked up an impressive tally of awards and wins. She got special awards, won desired prizes and unlike some people who would be smug about it she was more humble. She wanted to show she didn't want to show grudges or hold her wins over anyone's heads. Did so many people enjoy her company and saw no reason to talk because she had become well-liked already?

"I'm...popular...already?" she blinked.

"Yeah!" Fourze nodded. "You don't need that switch to take out competition! You were already winning!"

Ami blinked, stunned by the revelation. All this time she had wanted to live the high life on the popularity scales when the whole time she had the best position where everyone could connect to her? She...hadn't really thought of it that way before to be honest. With how everyone talked about other girls, she had thought she was being ignored the whole time.

"I...I..." she began, looking down at the Aquila Switch in her hand. As she looked at it though, the item began to flare with dark purple energy. Fourze and Sasuke stiffened at the sight before the energy passed over Ami, causing her to scream as her eyes lit up with the power. "IT"S NOT ENOUGH! I WANT IT ALL!"

"What the-?" Fourze gasped.

"_Looks like the research was right_" Sasuke frowned inside the Power Dizer. "_Zodiarts Switches can influence their wielders if they have enough power._"

Ami screamed and lifted her switch into the air where it grew spikes and the domed top took the appearance of an eye, "**Last One!**"

"No! Ami, don't!" Fourze cried, running towards Ami. His speed wasn't enough as Ami hit the switch one last time. Her body was engulfed in a black void before falling out of the void wrapped in webbing. The Aquila constellation rose from the void before diving into it, forming the body of the Aquila Zodiarts once again. She looked as powerful as ever, but now clenched in her hands was a thick javelin shaped like a lightning bolt which crackled with power.

"_Crap,_" Sasuke hissed. "_Now she's a living bomb!_"

"I don't have the Camera Switch either!" Fourze grimaced, backing away and preparing for another fight.

"_**I'll take what's mine! I'll be popular forever!**_" the Aquila Zodiarts screamed, rearing back and throwing the javelin at the pair. As it left her hand, the avelin transformed into a bolt of lightning that sizzled through the air. The bolt crashed against Fourze's chest in a shower of sparks before bouncing off him and doing the same to the Power Dizer and sending both to the ground with a heavy crash. The lightning bolt then took to the sky before landing back in the Zodiarts' hand, turning back into a javelin.

"Ow," Fourze groaned. "Okay, that hurt."

"_Get off me, dobe!"_ shouted Sasuke as the Power Dizer threw Fourze off. The Rider grunted as he hit the ground. He had a few choice words for the last Uchiha, but swallowed them. He had something more important things to say besides insults.

"Hey, Sasuke!" Fourze shouted.

"_What?"_ Sasuke shot back.

"Look, you know everything but I can use the Driver. How about we work together?" asked Fourze. "Ami's going to hurt a lot of people with how hopped up she is right now on that Switch. We have to stop her and you know everything I can use to do it!"

Sasuke was silent for a moment inside the Power Dizer with a frown on his face. As much as his pride demanded he go on alone by any means, common sense won out. Grunting, he hit the release switch to the machine's cockpit. A hiss of hydraulics announced as the cockpit opened up, allowing Sasuke to climb out. Reaching into his pocket, he tossed a light blue Switch into Fourze's hands. It was marked Number 8 and has a chainsaw marking on it.

"That one activates the Chainsaw Module," Sasuke explained. "It should be tough enough to cut through that bronze armour she's got. It's made of space-age materials and powered by cosmic energy. It should be able to cut through anything."

"Got it!" Fourze nodded. "See? Even we can work together."

"Don't get used to it Dobe," Sasuke snorted with a smirk. "Now get going!"

"On it!" Fourze nodded before he headed towards the Zodiarts. Sasuke turned back to the cockpit to the Power Dizer and rummaged around for something. Coming back out, he placed a communication headset over his ears and in his hands was the Camera Switch and...a burger?

"Not the time to get the munchies!" Fourze shouted.

Sasuke flipped the burger over, revealing that it was made of metal and had a slot in it's back. Taking the Camera Switch, he popped it inside of the slot. He then activated the switch. In a squeak, the burger unfolded with the buns becoming wheels and the tomato and lettuce becoming arms while a section of the patty rose up to reveal a metal face and blue eyes.

"What is that?" Fourze asked.

"It's a Foodroid called the BurgerMeal. It connects directly to the Rabbit Hutch so Sakura can see what's going on," Sasuke explained. "It's powered by the Camera Switch so it can scan the Zodiarts while you're off fighting it. We'll be able to find the switch that way."

"Cool! Spy gear!" Fourze grinned. Turning his attention back to the crackling Zodiarts, he reached to his belt, removing the Launcher Switch and replacing it with the Chainsaw Switch.

"_Chainsaw!_"

*CLICK!*

"_**CHAIN-SAW-ON!**_"

Fourze's right leg flashed light blue as pieces assembled to form a brace/sheathe for a chainsaw blade which shifted to stick from the top of his foot before roaring to life, "Nice!" Laughing, Fourze charged towards the shrieking Zodiarts. The Aquila Zodiarts lashed out with a swing of the javelin, but Fourze ducked underneath before kicking wide. The chainsaw slashed wide, creating a terrible grinding noise which screamed across the Zodiarts torso. globs of heated bronze flew in all directions, leaving a gash in the metal.

"_**GRAH!**_" the Aquila Zodiarts screeched. Stumbling back, she charged once again this time stabbing at the Kamen Rider. Fourze kicked wide, causing the Chainsaw Module to crash against the javelin, knocking it aside in a flurry of electric sparks. Using the momentum, he swung with his other foot and kicked Aquila's face and knocking her away again.

"I hate to do this Ami, but we've got to snap you out of this!" Fourze shouted, running for the attack once again. Using another jump kick, he slashed across the Zodiarts' torso once again, leaving another gash in the torso armour. One, two, three more kicks follows, making one, two, three more gashes in the steel.

"Full throttle!" Fourze shouted, causing the Chainsaw Module to spin even faster with blue cosmic energy racing over the teeth. Lunging, he slashed at the torso once again, this time a huge blast of sparks coming from the impact before the torso armour shattered, shrapnel flying in all directions. The Aquila Zodiarts screeched in pain before falling backwards, her chest covered in slightly scorched down white feathers instead of bronze.

"Sasuke!" Fourze shouted to his rival. "Anything?"

"Hold on!" Sasuke shouted back. Hitting a button on the headset, he spoke, "Sakura, please tell me you've got something. I don't want the dobe to make this Zodiarts go critical and explode by accident."

"_I think I might have something,_" Sakura offered from the Rabbit Hutch. "_The signal was faint before but once Naruto removed the armour it got stronger. It's definitely in the chest. I'd say dead centre if the signal strength is anything to go by._"

"Dobe, hit her right in the middle of the chest with a Limit Break!" Sasuke shouted.

"Okay!" Fourze nodded. He shut down the Chainsaw Switch before hitting the Rocket Switch.

"_**ROC-KET-ON!**_"

The Rocket Module returned and roared to life before Fourze lunged at the Aquila Zodiarts once again. He impacted hard against the monster's hide, taking them both into the air with the Zodiarts pinned on the tip of the Module. The pair roared through the clouds rising into the atmosphere and even higher, as day on Earth turned into the infinite night of space the pair continued to rise higher and higher. Once they were high enough and Fourze was sure that he wouldn't hurt anyone with the explosion, he twisted the Rocket Module and knocked the Aquila Zodiarts off, leaving her to drift. The Kamen Rider rose higher into space before twisting around to hit the Drill Switch.

"_**DRILL-ON!**_"

The Drill Module appeared and Fourze took aim at the Zodiarts before hitting the Enter Lever, pushing the abilities into overdrive.

"_**ROCKET-DRILL-LIMIT BREAK!**_"

"OKAY! ROCKET DRILL KICK!" Fourze bellowed, his Modules kicking into high gear. He roared down like a comet upon the Aquila Zodiarts. The monster struggled, but the vertigo of the sudden ascension had made her dizzy and disoriented. She couldn't move quickly enough before Fourze crashed into her, the tip of the Drill Module striking her chest dead centre. Tearing through the monster, the Zodiarts exploded in a massive fireball while Fourze passed right through heading back towards earth.

"YAHOO!" the Rider cheered, passing back down into the atmosphere again.

* * *

**Konoha Gakuen**

Sasuke squinted as he saw a bright light slightly bigger than a pinhead in the sky. The explosion must have been massive to have seen it from from the ground when it happened in space.

A sharp gasped caught his attention, forcing him to see Ami returning to consciousness. She groaned in pain, but began ripping at the webbing around her. The sound of an impact sounded off and Sasuke followed the noise to find another crater with the Aquila Switch smoking inside. He sighed in relief knowing the Zodiarts was beaten, but he couldn't help but feel sorely disappointed that he hadn't been the one to do it.

"Hey Sauskeeeeeeeee!"

Sasuke looked up and spotted Fourze floating to the ground with the Parachute Module connected to his arm, "Thanks for packing this one in the pocket! I didn't want to become roadkill!"

"Whatever," Sasuke shrugged as Fourze landed on his feet. "Just shut the Switch off already would you?"

"Right, right," Fourze sighed, shutting off the Parachute Module. Walking over to the small crater, he picked up the Aquila Switch before tapping the button with his thumb. Like with the Heracles Switch, it vanished into it's own black hole before winking out.

"Nice," Fourze nodded. Looking up, he spied Ami limping out of the trench she made as a Zodiarts. Gasping, Fourze shut down his Driver and returned to normal as he ran to her side to help her walk. "Hey, Ami. You okay?"

"A...a little sore," Ami grunted, trying to hold back a sniffle. Her body really hurt and she just wanted to cry from how much of a bitch she was. "I'm so sorry about all this."

"Hey, it's okay," Naruto grinned. "Everyone can go home fine and no one needs to know who the hawk monster was. I won't tell if you won't."

Ami blinked, but then she smiled, "Thank-you."

Sasuke watched the scene and rolled his eyes, "Spare me."

* * *

Once again, police got involved when damage to Konoha Gakuen was reported. A set of broken windows and extensive damage to the grounds. The police wrote it off as vandalism. One or two of the faculty wanted Naruto to be questioned considering his history, but Tsunade saw no evidence that it was him and the rest of the teachers who knew the blonde agreed with that assessment. For all they know, it may have been some bitter students from Iwa High School. Hinokuni prefecture and Tsuchinokuni prefecture did have a fierce rivalry.

For the students, it was better. Ami was much more appreciative of the friends she had and the accomplishments she made now that she knew that she was well-liked in the important ways rather than the celebrity gossip way. She wouldn't make the front of the school newspaper as often as some students, but everyone certainly knew her name and face.

Another day was ready to go into full swing and Hinata was arriving at school. She felt relieved when Naruto let her know that the Aquila Zodiarts was beaten and Ami managed to get her common sense back. It was a relief on her shoulders.

"Hey Hinata-chan!" Naruto's voice called, making Hinata's cheeks turn pink. She timidly turned around and saw Naruto waving to her as he approached.

"G-good morning Naruto-kun," Hinata bowed politely. "How are you?"

"Doing good," Naruto grinned. "Kinda bored since Sasuke took back the Driver and won't let me into the Rabbit Hutch, but I think Sakura-chan's trying to convince him to let us in." He shook his head. "Enough about me though. You okay? Your cousin giving you trouble?"

"Neji-niisan is concerned about my safety, but he hasn't spoken with my father about the Zodiarts," Hinata answered, taking stride next to Naruto. "I don't think Father would believe him though."

"I have trouble believing it unless I saw it myself," Naruto nodded. "Anyway, how about we hit Ichiraku's after school? You got leeway again right?"

"U-ummm," Hinata flushed. Another date offer! "S-s-sure."

"Alright!" Naruto grinned, unheeding of some of the students whispering around them.

* * *

**Unknown Location**

The red-eyed man frowned as he stared up at the ceiling of his room. Lit up across the dark ceiling were all of the constellations which were in the night sky. Every few seconds, the artistic images of the constellations would appear over their star lines, identifying which constellation was which. However, the image was noticeably incomplete to any astronomer worth their salt. There were large gaps in the star map where the constellations of Heracles and Aquila shoulder have been.

"First Heracles disappears and now Aquila does the same," the red-eyed man frowned. "Someone is trying to darken my night sky."

"Should we do something about it?" asked someone hidden in the darkness of the room.

"Possibly, but it might be the right trigger to move things ahead," the red-eyed man answered. "Adversity breeds excellence in the right cases. Continue to find our stars so that our constellations can shine. We must find the Horoscopes at all costs."

"Yes sir," the voice agreed before the presence that went with it vanished. That left the man with red eyes to stare up at the incomplete night sky.

"What did you do Minato, Kushina?" he asked the night sky.

**To Be Continued...**

A/N: Whew, finally back in the saddle for this fic. Well, it looks like some common ground between Sasuke and Naruto was found but at the same time it seems like Sasuke isn't willing to give up what he feels is his role. Naruto and Hinata are being dragged into a conflict that has been brewing for some time and have no idea how deep it really goes.


	4. A Pair of Stars Emerge

I do not own Naruto or Kamen Rider Fourze. They belong to their respective creators and not me. I am only writing this for fun and not for any kind of profit. If you don't like my work then don't read it. If you do, thanks for your support.

**Kamen Rider Fourze: Cosmic Maelstrom**

**By Ten-Faced Paladin**

**Chapter 4: A Pair of Stars Emerge **

The sun rose over the city of Konoha, rousing the people from their slumber. One particular apartment complex wasn't any different as the day began. It was a decent place two love, sporting two bedrooms and the basic needs such as bathroom and kitchen. Inside of one particular room rose a mophead of golden hair sporting whisker marks on his cheeks.

"Stupid sun," Naruto grumbled, rubbing his eyes.

Reluctantly dragging himself out of bed and to his closet where his school uniform was hanging. Getting dressed, he dragged himself out to the kitchen where he began preparing a kettle with hot water while dragging out an instant bowl of ramen.

"You're gonna turn into a ramen noodle if that's all you eat Gaki," a voice spoke from the kitchen table.

"Whatever Ero-sennin," Naruto retorted with a yawn.

The figure at the table growled. He was a middle-aged man who had long silver hair wearing a sleeping yukata. His face was moderately good for his age but his face also sported a wart on the side of his nose. Not off-putting to the average woman but there was something...pervy, in his eyes.

His name was Jiraiya, Naruto's godfather and the man who raised him officially. He had been a mentor to Naruto's father and was the first choice of the man to take care of Naruto should anything happen to his parents. Of course, Tsunade was quickly named Godmother so to make sure that Jiraiya didn't corrupt the then baby boy with his antics.

Jiraiya worked as an author, writing the nigh legendary series Icha-Icha Paradise. It was well-written and had wonderful plot and characters. It had even won awards for how popular it was numerous times. However, as many fans as it had they were all men while women publicly despised the work. For you see, Icha-Icha was an erotic series with lots of sex and whatnot. Men loved it, but women hated the fact that their husbands and/or boyfriends would spend so much on collecting the series.

Jiraiya himself was also a self-proclaimed mega-perv, which was how he kept the courage to write the books when so many women wanted to cut his balls off. Many asked how he got inspiration for his novels and Naruto managed to figure out the secret: Peeping. Jiraiya would actually got to the local hot springs and peep on the bathers when he got the chance or content himself by watching girls playing at the pool when they thought they were alone. Of course, he'd leer over a hot girl who would so much as wink his way or end up buying a date now and then if he felt like it. He was also completely unrepentant over his antics, considering it a natural part of a man's mindset.

It was no wonder why Naruto called him Ero-sennin. His pen name was Gama Sennin, but Naruto felt the name he thought of fit the man better.

"Give it time Gaki, you'll feel the pull of perversion soon enough," Jiraiya grumped, looking down at his latest manuscript.

"Yeah, and you'll get a date with Baa-chan," Naruto snorted. Jiraiya and Tsunade had been close friends for years and the old perv was holding a torch for her. Of course, it may have been the fact she was just still hot with big boobs at her age. Unfortunately for him, Tsunade did not appreciate his pervy antics. So for years his offers for a date were shot down, violently in some cases. She didn't look it, but Tsunade was damn strong.

"Speaking of dates," Jiraiya began to grin. "I've been hearing rumours that you've managed to woo that shy little Hyuuga girl who's the heiress to her old man's fortune. Way to go Gaki!"

"We're just friends!" Naruto snapped. "And how the hell did you even hear about that? Are you peeking on high school girls now?-!"

"Never anyone below eighteen," Jiraiya waved off the accusation calmly. It would make one think he got accused of that often. "Anyway, I've got my ways to know what rumours are hanging around. I'm surprised you would even think that I wouldn't hear about my godson finally figuring out girls besides that Haruno girl exist! Need some advice to make her yours for good?"

"Your advice is just perverted junk from your books!" Naruto yelled. "The last time you gave me advice on girls Sakura-chan punched me in the face! I'm never going to take advice from you about girls when you have to buy dates!"

"Hey, my knowledge and experience is golden!" Jiraiya yelled, standing up and pointing at his young charge. "It has never failed me!"

"Say that to Baa-chan! She turns you down every time you see her!" Naruto shouted back.

"It's just a matter of time before I make her mine!" Jiraiya defended. "Don't think because you got a girl now you're such an expert!"

"We're just friends, dattebayo!" Naruto shouted.

Thus began another morning in the shared household.

* * *

**Konoha Gakuen**

The day was slowly beginning at the famous high school as the early comers such as teachers and some students arrived to get early tasks done or practice for their various sports teams. To them, it was just another day in their lives as they worked to get their jobs done. Nothing more, nothing less.

To a pair on the rooftops however, it was much more.

"_**So many lonely stars out there, alone and isolated,**_" a male voice spoke, a figure watching the masses through the fence on the roof.

"_**So many wishes begging to be granted, destined to go unanswered,**_" a female voice followed, another figure moving next to the male one.

The pair were most obviously Zodiarts as they looked down at the arriving students and teachers. The first male Zodiarts was dark-skinned with silver armour across his chest in layers with more on his legs and kneecaps. His right shoulder had more armour, but his left arm looked like it was wrapped in snakes with a horrifying face on the back of his hand, like Medusa. Adorning his legs and outlining his torso were sky blue lines with orbs of the same colour. More lines ran down his arms but the ones on his right arm connected to a massive sword in his right arm. His face looked slightly beast-like, but the metal plating and the protrusion on the top of the head made it look like his head was part Greek helmet as well. Trailing down his back was a black cape and attacked to his waist by a silver buckle was a sack of some kind.

The second Zodiarts was most definitely female. Her figure was indeed very feminine wearing a pink greek-like dress which trailed behind her. Her torso was covered with bronze armour that fit perfectly against her frame. Her arms looked like they were made of marble, but the forearms were covered with bronze gauntlets with pointed finger tips. Wrapped around her arms and running up her arms were polished silver chains that reached her neck like a choker. Her legs were visible, sticking out from under her dress, looking like they were made from marble with her legs covered in bronze greaves with high heel bronze footwear. Her face looked like a marble statues, but partially concealed by long red hair that curled in front of it, concealing her right eye. Her other eye was a bright blue gemstone. Out of all of the Zodiarts, she was hands down the most lovely. On each of her ankles were red star positions which sent red lines up her dress, marking points on her legs and dress until they reached her waist and the bright gold-rimmed star on her waist. From there, the lines rose up to another point just above her breasts with lines running under the chains on her arms to her forearms and finally one more small point on her forehead where a tiara sat.

They were the eternal lovers, brought together by heroism and the will of the gods, Perseus and Andromeda.

"_**This is where we come in, granting them the power to make their dreams come true,**_" Perseus spoke, looking to his lover.

"_**And in doing so, we'll make our wish come true,**_" Andromeda nodded, gently clasping Perseus' gloved hand in her own.

* * *

"Stupid Ero-sennin and his stupid dating advice. The perv," Naruto grumbled, approaching his school with his bag slung over his shoulder. He and Jiraiya had argued mostly about dating advice with Naruto insisting that he and Hinata were just friends and for the perv to leave him alone. Jiraiya proved to be as annoying as ever as he teased Naruto straight out the door.

"Naruto!"

The blonde blinked and looked up too see who was calling him. He blinked, seeing Sakura jogging towards him, waving. He was a little confused as to whys he was seeking him out considering how he and Sasuke hated each other, "Hey Sakura-chan. What's up?"

"Well, saying hello I guess," Sakura shrugged. "But more importantly, how about you and Hinata come to the Rabbit Hutch for lunch?"

"Seriously?" Naruto asked. Lunch in space? Awesome! "Sure! You bet!"

"Great," Sakura smiled. "Maybe you could help us out in trying to figure how the Fourze Driver works. Sasuke-kun's been all broody trying to figure out why you were able to use it and he couldn't. If you two can stop arguing, maybe we can figure something out."

"I guess," Naruto rolled his eyes. "I thought he was over all that broody emo crap by now."

"I'm working on it," Sakura grumbled. "But whenever something goes wrong that he's planned on he backslides and I have to start all over again."

'_CHA! What's he got to be depressed over when he's got a hot chick like me to make out with? I want my sexy time! SHANNARO!_" Inner Sakura bellowed.

"Well, maybe you and Hinata-chan can keep us from doing something stupid," Naruto scratched his head.

"Heh, if there's one thing a girlfriend can do it's keep her man in line," Sakura grinned. "Me and Hinata together will keep you two from going too far."

"Uh, thanks," Naruto nodded. Something at the back of his head was telling him that she was teasing him for something, but he snuffed it out. Sakura wasn't the type to make fun of people.

"Okay, see you then!" Sakura smiled, heading off for her own classes.

"Bye," Naruto waved before heading off to his own. Maybe today wouldn't be so bad.

* * *

**Rabbit Hutch**

As Sakura explained, Sasuke was brooing over a computer giving readouts on the Fourze Driver. Like every other test he could think of, nothing appeared to be wrong with the Driver. Whatever it was, Sasuke couldn't wrap his mind around it and that only served to agitate him.

Sasuke hated not understanding anything. He first thought that Naruto had somehow damaged the Fourze Driver when he couldn't use it but then it worked for the blond. It just didn't make sense to the dark-haired boy. How could the dobe had made it work? Sasuke had tried to use the Fourze Driver afterwards only to be violently rejected again.

What made Naruto so much special? The Driver wasn't damaged after he examined it. So why was it that Naruto could use the thing so easily while Sasuke couldn't?

He absently noted the door to the Rabbit Hutch opening, Glancing over his shoulder, he saw Sakura entering the small lunar station.

"Ah, good, you're here," Sakura smiled.

"What is it?" asked Sasuke, looking up from his work.

"Well, the first bell's about to ring so we'd better get a move on back to school before we're late," Sakura answered. "Second of all, I think I got something for checking on how the Fourze Driver is acting up."

"You do? What?" asked Sasuke, now turning his full attention to Sakura.

"You'll see at lunch," Sakura smiled. "Right now we have class. Now let's go!"

Sasuke sighed and rolled his eyes, "Fine." Grabbing his book bag, he closed the windows on the computer he was working on before following his girlfriend out of the door and through the portal back to Konoha Gakuen.

He only hoped that Sakura's idea was worth it.

* * *

**Principal's Office**

"Hey Baa-chan! Shizune-neechan!" Naruto called, greeting the blonde principal warmly as he strode into her office. The principal and her assistant were sharing some morning coffee over paperwork as their common friend strode in.

"Well, well, visiting when you're not in trouble," Tsunade smirked at her godson. "What's the occasion?"

"Just felt like saying hi," Naruto shrugged dropping into a seat. "So what's up?"

"Damage and expense reports mostly," Shizune answered, lifting some of the papers from her boss' desk. "Whoever tore up Classroom 2-S and the grounds outside sure didn't do it in half measures."

"Wow...that sucks," Naruto winced. He felt kind of bad about that considering he and the Aquila Zodiarts were the ones who tore the place up in their fight.

"Yes, but fortunately our construction budget is covering the costs so far," Tsunade sighed. "But good luck getting funding for any of the bigger construction projects. The cost from this incident alone set back our plans for a new sports field and equipment shed."

"The sports teams won't like that," Shizune sighed.

"Almost wants to make you accept those bribes those rich kids' parents keep trying to hand you," Naruto grimaced.

Tsunade frowned at her blonde godson, "Okay, one: I'd never take a bribe from those snobs just so they can pad their kids' report cards. Two: How did you even know about those anyway?"

"Uh...I guessed," Naruto blinked. "You mean parents actually try to bribe you so their kids get better grades? Holy crap."

"Morons the lot of them," Tsunade huffed, sipping down her coffee. "If they can't make it on their own merits then they'd be screwed even if their parents bought them success."

"Doesn't stop them from trying," Shizune commented, having seen plenty of parents come in to complain when their privileged children didn't seem to be doing as well in the real school environment than their private schools would suggest.

*BRIIIING!*

"And that sound means that you had better get your butt to class," Tsunade pointed Naruto to her door. "Now get going you brat."

"Yeah, yeah," Naruto sighed, getting back up to leave. He stopped to glance back at his godmother, "Oh, Ero-sennin says he wants to ask you out next time he sees you."

"Tell him he can drop dead!" Tsunade snapped, gritting her teeth. Naruto laughed and left the office, leaving Tsunade to fume over her desk. "The damn perv doesn't know when to quit."

Shizune could only giggle as Tsunade complained about Jiraiya's bad habits.

* * *

The classes passed and Naruto fell asleep like Shikamaru did while Hinata took diligent notes, wondering if Naruto would like her help in what he missed. Naruto and Shikamaru both got swatted upside the head by Iruka while the rest of the class laughed at them. Still, it was the average day for Class 2-S when the lunch bell rang.

Yawning, Naruto glanced over and saw Hinata packing her things to head out for lunch. Not wanting to lose her in the rush for the cafeteria, he hopped out of his seat and headed for her desk, "Hey Hinata-chan!"

"Hm?" Hinata looked up. "Yes?"

"Sakura-chan invited us over to the Rabbit Hutch so we could have lunch there. Wanna go?" asked Naruto, pointing his thumb to the outdoors.

Truly, the onlookers were surprised that Hinata wasn't a blushing mess. Was it because she was just getting used to Naruto? She still looked pink in the cheeks to them.

"Okay," Hinata smiled, keeping her breath steady. Who would have thought that the meditation exercises that her family practiced would help keep her calm in this situation?

"Cool! Let's go!" Naruto grinned, taking Hinata's hand and heading for the door. At that moment, Hinata's face turned atomic red as she felt Naruto holding her hand. No amount of meditation would keep her calm when it came to bodily contact with her crush.

heading out of the school, they went straight to the equipment shed where the portal to the Rabbit Hutch was kept. After making sure that no one was watching them, they headed inside and went straight to the locker, passing through it. Walking through the bright tunnel, they came up to the Rabbit Hutch's door. It opened automatically for them, letting the two enter the main meeting area. There waiting for them...

"Who let you in Dobe?" Sasuke bluntly asked where he was sitting with Sakura, both of them eating their lunches at the table.

"Sakura-chan invited us Teme," Naruto huffed, keeping his tongue in check. It figured, he takes one step anywhere near Sasuke and the two of them start fighting. Of course, he goes anywhere remotely cool and somehow Sasuke shows up and they end up fighting anyway.

Sasuke frowned at Naruto's response and glanced at his girlfriend. The pinkette huffed and rolled her eyes, "Since the Fourze Driver isn't working for anyone but Naruto and nothing you've tried worked I thought we could test it out with Naruto and see why it only works for him." she returned to her lunch. "Besides, I want to test the Hopping Switch that I put together for Fourze to use."

"A new Switch?" Naruto blinked, his attention focusing on something cooler than fighting with Sasuke.

"Yes," Sakura nodded, seeing she had Naruto's focus on staying. "One of the things Sasuke-kun and I found when we explored this place were designs for more Astro Switches. I managed to piece together Number 09 myself."

"Let's test it out then!" Naruto grinned. "Where's the Driver?"

"Nowhere you'll get it," Sasuke frowned.

"Sasuke..." Sakura said in a serious tone. Frowning, she pointed over to the monitor room. "It's over there connected to the computers. Just unplug it and head over to the testing room. It's through the door in there." She pointed to the room in question.

"Sakura!" Sasuke snapped. "We don't need-!"

"Sasuke!" Sakura snapped back. "We don't have a clue why the Driver is acting like it is. We've tried all the scans and programming checks we could. All that we can do now is try it out when its working. You don't like it but that's too bad!" Her face took on a semblance of her dark counterpart. "Now put up or shut up! SHANNARO!"

Naruto, Sasuke and Hinata were taken aback by Sakura's outburst. Hinata had never seen Sakura act that way before so it had come something of a shock for her. For Naruto and Sasuke, it was a reminder why they tended to be wary around Sakura when she got irritable, doubly so for the last Uchiha since he knew the horror of crossing her when she had PMS.

"Right...uh...I'll go grab the Driver," Naruto grimaced.

"I'll start the test routines," Sasuke nodded before both teens headed to the monitor room.

"Whew," Sakura sighed, relaxing her frown. "Honestly, are some boys so stubborn that smacking them or something is the only way to get them to behave?"

"Um...n-no?" Hinata ventured tentatively. She didn't want Sakura to begin snapping at her.

"**THREE!**"

"**TWO!**"

"**ONE!**"

"Henshin!"

The sounds of Naruto's transformation into Fourze echoed from nearby. Sakura set her lunch down before she looked at Hinata again, "Well, let's see if we can get those tests done and have a pleasant lunch."

"O-okay."

The girls headed to the monitor room where Sasuke was sitting at a console, typing in commands. Nearby, a panel had opened to reveal a room tinted with green light. It was bare at the moment with nothing in it. Inside was Fourze, looking out at his friends.

"Okay Sakura-chan, where's that Switch?" he asked.

"Just a minute," the pinkette replied. Heading to where the Astro Switches were kept. Joining them was a new pink one marked as Number Nine with a spring marking on it. Taking it from the charging panel, she brought it to another hidden panel, opening it to reveal a small chamber with a door on the opposite side. Setting the switch, she closed it. "It's in the panel next to the window. Try it out."

"Awesome," Fourze nodded, opening said panel to receive the Switch. "Okay, which part does it go in?"

"The left leg."

"Gotcha!" the Rider nodded, removing Switch 3 for Switch 9.

"_Hopping!_"

"Here goes!" *CLICK!*

"_**HOP-PING-ON!**_"

A flash of pink appeared over Fourze's left leg module before forming into the Hopping Module. It was made of pink steel and had his foot mounted on what looked like a pogo stick. Blinking, Fourze looked at the device, "Is this it?"

"According to the specs, it should increase your jumping power," Sasuke reported, his eyes running over the data.

"Alright, let's try it out!" Fourze jumped up and down on the Hopping Module. At first it seemed alright as his jumping height increased at a stable rate. However, that was only for a few seconds. That was when he hit his head on the roof, landing on the Hopping Module but his distraction sent him careening across the room, bouncing off a wall. Before long, Fourze was crying out as he was literally bouncing all over the walls.

"Make it stop!" Fourze shouted.

"Turn off the switch, you idiot!" Sasuke snapped.

Fourze was about to, but instead made a faceplant on the testing room's floor, rendering the suggestion moot. "Itai..." Reaching to his belt, he hit the Hopping Switch, shutting the module down.

"Naruto-kun! Are you okay?" asked Hinata.

"Never...ugh...better," Fourze groaned. "Can I have my ramen now?"

Sasuke rolled his eyes, sighing, "I can't tell if the Switch is just useless or the dobe's than incompetent."

"Lay off Sasuke-kun, he's new," Sakura sighed. "Let's break for lunch and compare notes."

"Yay..." Fourze groaned, obviously dazed.

* * *

**Konoha Gakuen - Locker Room**

One of the locker rooms which were located near the various facilities in Konoha Gakuen was currently empty save for one person. They were sitting on a bench, their head hung down just staring listlessly at the floor. While the rest of the student's team had already gone out for practice, this one student had opted to stay behind so to be alone for a little while.

"Should I even bother?" the student mumbled. "I wish that they would just notice me a little more. Just say I was doing well. Say I was important to the team. Something."

"_**Wish upon a star, and it will be granted,**_" a warped female voice spoke. The student looked up and turned to the source of the voice only to cry out in fear as they saw the forms of the Andromeda and Perseus Zodiarts walking out from either side of a row of lockers.

"_**Don't be afraid,**_" the Perseus Zodiarts spoke calmly. "_**We aren't here to hurt you.**_"

"_**Quite the reverse. We are here to help you,**_" the Andromeda Zodiarts continued.

"Wh-wh-what are you?" the student gasped out, pressing their back against a row of lockers.

"_**We are called Zodiarts, embodiments of the constellations which govern the night skies,**_" Perseus answered. "_**I am of the constellation Perseus while my wife is that of Andromeda.**_"

The student gulped as the two Zodiarts stopped approaching, but their gazes seemed like they could go through them and see to their soul, "What...do you want?"

"_**To help you of course,**_" Andromeda smiled. "_**We heard your wish for recognition from your peers and so we have decided to help you,**_" she reached into the folds of her dress before producing a Zodiarts Switch. "_**With this, you will be given the power of a Zodiarts and with it you can make your dreams come true.**_"

Stepping closer to the student, the Andromeda Zodiarts dropped the Switch into the student's hands, "_**Keep it safe. For the stars within will light the way.**_"

"_**We look forward to seeing you among the stars with us,**_" Perseus agreed before his wife moved to his side. They both took each others' hands before waving their free ones, letting blue and pink power swirl around them before they vanished, only leaving a few disrupted lockers in their wake.

The stunned student could only blink for a moment before looking at the switch in their hands, "Make my dreams come true?"

What could it hurt?

*CLICK!*

* * *

**Rabbit Hutch**

Naruto happily slurped up the ramen noodles while everyone sat at the round table while comparing notes on what had happened during the testing. Sakura was considering how the Hopping Switch worked while Hinata offered a hesitant opinion or two when she saw something in the paperwork that might be important. Sasuke on the other hand was looking over the notes on how the Fourze Driver was operating, trying to see if there was anything going on that could hint why Naruto was able to use it exclusively.

"Hmm," Sakura frowned. "Maybe I had the output on the recoil tuned a little too high."

"Mmm. Maybe it was just physics that turned against Naruto-kun?" suggested Hinata. "Too much force at the wrong angle?"

"Maybe," the pinkette nodded.

Sasuke was still pouring over readouts on the Fourze Driver, but to his frustration there was no sign that something wasn't working properly or something previously missing was now in place while Naruto was using it.

"Hey Sasuke," Naruto spoke up, gulping down his ramen. "You figure out why I can use this thing yet?"

"No. And it's pissing me off," Sasuke muttered, not even looking up at the blonde.

"What doesn't piss you off?" Naruto snickered. Sasuke simply growled at him.

"Now now boys, no roughhousing," Sakura warned, pointing her pen at the pair. Sasuke and Naruto didn't say anything more, but instead returned to their respective tasks, reading and eating.

"So, Sakura-san," Hinata spoke. "How did you and Sasuke-san find this place?"

"Well, that's a really odd story," Sakura replied, resting her chin in her hand as she recalled that event. "One day Sasuke got a Switch in the mail that said he should activate it before throwing it into some kind of small enclosed space which could be opened and closed. Sasuke-kun decided to throw it in that locker in the equipment shed. We were kind of surprised when it turned into a portal here."

"So everything was already here?" asked Naruto.

"Everything you see here was what we found," Sakura answered. "It took us forever to figure out how to use it. We managed it though. The only thing we weren't sure about was where the Fourze Driver was."

"How did you find that anyway?" asked Sasuke. "Did you get a hint or something?"

"Nah," Naruto shook his head. "Me and Hinata-chan were running from the Heracles Zodiarts and tried hiding in a locker and ended up here. The computers went nuts when the Zodiarts got close to the locker and Hinata-chan pulled up files about Zodiarts."

"But how did you get the Driver?" pressed the last Uchiha.

"Um, I asked the computer about countermeasures to the Zodiarts," Hinata replied. "We got video file from someone who worked here before and it opened the compartment where the Driver was hidden."

"So dumb luck," Sasuke sighed. "Seems to be your best friend Dobe."

"At least I _have_ friends," Naruto sniped, going for his ramen broth. "You've got your head shoved so deep up your ass that you don't see anything else. But that's OK. I made it my pledge to make friends with anybody, including jerks like you."

"Just because we might be working together, that doesn't mean we're friends," Sasuke shot back.

"Not yet," Naruto shrugged. "But I figure we hang out enough we'll get that stick out of your ass soon enough. Sides, we'll be working together from now on, so we might as well be on good terms. Won't help our team dynamic if we're at each other's throats."

"What makes you think we're a team?" Sasuke asked.

"Well, you did watch my back last time," said Naruto. "Plus you were kickass in that mecha suit thing. I may not like you, but at least I can trust you since we're fighting the same thing."

"I was only looking out for the Fourze Driver. You just happened to be wearing it." Sasuke retorted. "Once I figure out what's wrong with the Fourze Driver it'll be me taking on Zodiarts myself. If you want to help so bad you can drive the Power Diezer. Just don't get in my way."

"But until then, I'm Fourze," Naruto smirked. "You know, I kinda think 'Fourze' is boring on its own. There needs to be something extra."

"This isn't some Super Sentai group Dobe," Sasuke grunted, getting annoyed. "We don't need a name and we aren't taking on cheesy monsters in bad costumes. We're fighting the real thing. Like those Dopant monsters that appeared in Hinata City or those Yummy things from Kanto that showed up a few years ago."

"I remember those," Hinata nodded. "Didn't people in armour defeat them though?"

"Yeah, people called them Kamen Riders," Naruto nodded. Suddenly, his eyes bulged before he jumped to his feet. "Hah! I got it! I'm gonna call myself 'Kamen Rider Fourze'! It's perfect! I wear a mask and I can ride on the Power Dizer or something! That makes me a Kamen Rider too!"

"Kinda catchy," Sakura pondered.

"Whatever," Sasuke sighed. Why was it that he was the only one taking things seriously?

"So anyway," Naruto sat down again. "Just where the heck are these Zodiarts coming from anyway? I mean, is it some kind of fad like those Dopants were with...what was it...Gaia Memories?"

"No," Sakura shook her head. "No, as far as we can tell a pair of Zodiarts are handing the Switches out to people apparently at random to transform them into Zodiarts. From Zodiarts files we collected, they're looking for something called Horoscopes. What they are or how they relate to the Switches we aren't too sure yet."

"A horoscope?" Hinata blinked. "You mean like Aries, Sagittarius, Libra, Leo, and the others?"

"Maybe," Sakura shrugged. "I think Horoscopes means a certain kind of Zodiarts but so far the only ones that have shown up are minor constellations. The dealers might be those constellations but since they never use their powers, we've never detected them or seen them in action."

"Huh," Naruto frowned in thought. "Well, if these Horoscopes are so important then we'd better find them first before these two dealers do who knows what with them."

"And how do you plan to do that?" asked Sasuke sarcastically. "We've been trying to find those Dealers for a while now and so far we've got nothing."

"Simple. I'll ask the people they gave the Switches to," Naruto replied. "Ami-chan might know a thing or two."

"Dobe, that's-!" Sasuke began, hating the thought of bringing even more outsiders into the fray.

"It's one of the only leads we have Sasuke," Sakura frowned at her boyfriend. "Since our technology can't pin them down, maybe asking people who actually saw them is the only way we have of finding them." She stared her man down. "I know you don't like the thought of bringing other people in on this but remember we're just high school kids even if we do have a lot of gear. Sometimes the best thing to do is use the old-fashioned way."

"Tsk!" Sasuke huffed, but he saw the logic in Sakura's argument. Sometimes doing things without relying on tech was the only way to go. He just wished he didn't have to risk the secrets of the Switches or Zodiarts in the process.

"Jeez, calm down. We can keep a secret you know," Naruto huffed.

"Right, sure," Sasuke frowned. "I'll believe that when I see it."

"Oh kiss my-!"

"Well, it's settled!" Sakura interrupted. "We'll go talk to Ami-san and see if she can shed any light on our mystery! Any questions?"

Naruto and Sasuke continued to stare one another down, once again their natural rivalry coming to light. Both were about to open their mouths to show their agreement. They were interrupted however when red alert lights began lighting up with loud alarms.

"_ALERT! ZODIARTS DETECTED! ALERT! ZODIARTS DETECTED!_"

"Game time!" Naruto grinned, snagging the Fourze Driver from the table. "Okay, I'm off!"

"Hold on Dobe! We have to find out where it is first!" Sasuke snapped, running for the monitoring room. Halting at the keyboard he began typing up the appropriate commands. He soon got the location of the new Zodiarts as well as a readout of which one it was.

_Scan Complete_

_Subject: Delphinus Zodiarts_

_Model#: 12_

_Power Levels: Minimal_

_Last One: Dormant_

"That would be Poseidon's little matchmaker," Sakura commented, reading over Sasuke's shoulder.

"So where is it?" asked Naruto impatiently.

"At the school's pool! Go!" Sasuke snapped.

"Yosh!" The blonde dashed out the door, strapping the Driver to his waist.

"Good luck Naruto-kun," Hinata spoke softly.

* * *

**Konoha Gakuen - Poolside**

The pool of Konoha Gakuen was sizable, able to hold many people once but the sports teams usually had first dibs unless a class was using it first. The water sport teams were pretty good, but not truly great. Mizunokuni and Kiri Academy once sported that before things went to hell for them so Konoha was aiming to take the top spot.

Today wasn't a day for glory though, but one of fear.

The swimmers and people enjoying the water were running away in fear as a monstrous figure stalked the poolside, terrifying them with just their appearance. The figure had dark rubbery skin that shone like it was wet in the light. The torso was bare with a lighter skin tone on the front, but the left arm was covered in golden metal like a gladiator's and had a leather kilt on the waist. The legs were uncovered save for sandals. The right arm's shoulder had a dolphin's head sticking out with the left arm almost growing from the dolphin's throat, ending with a bracelet. Both hands were webbed as if made for swimming. The Zodiarts' head looked like a Trojan helmet, but instead of a horse mane ornament on the top, a dolphin fin came out. The gap for the face was featureless save for dark blue eyes and a line to indicate the mouth, the top half being gray like the rest of the body and the lower half being the lighter skin of the chest. In the very centre of its chest was a sapphire surrounded by a gold ring that sent a line descending to the Zodiarts' left hip where another star was held. The centre star sent another pair of lines to where the shoulder began, front and back. Both lines then extended to just behind the blowhole of the dolphin head where they converged on the final star point.

Poseidon's prized scout, the one who brought Amphitrite to his side, the Delphinus Zodiarts.

"_Oh now you notice me!_" the Delphinus Zodiart snapped at the fleeing students. "_ I have to do this to myself to get someone to know that I even exist! Well screw the lot of you! If you only notice monsters, I'll be a monster!_"

Shifting his position, the Zodiarts pointed his dolphin head at the fleeing students where it unleashed several ultrasonic chirps which caused the ground to explode behind the feet of the students, making them try to run that much faster away from him. Smoke rose up from the impact points, making a curtain of it.

"_No one will admit I exist when I'm human so why bother being that way?_" Delphinus growled. He was about to charged forward and go on in his terrorizing streak. However, he stopped when he saw that someone was behind the smoke and they weren't running away.

"So what's your beef with swimming pools?" Naruto frowned. "Did you want to be alone or something?"

"_Wait...aren't you the school moron?_" asked the Zodiarts, making Naruto growl with a stress mark on his forehead.

"Okay, that title is getting annoying!" Naruto huffed. "I'm the Zodiarts buster on campus! Now do you want to hand over that Switch now or do we have to do this the hard way?"

"_I'm not giving this up! I won't go back to being a nobody!_" Delphinus snarled, raising his webbed hands, ready to fight.

"Fine," Naruto frowned, flipping the four switches on the Driver. "The hard way it is then."

"**THREE!**"

"**TWO!**"

"**ONE!**"

"Henshin!"

Naruto hit the Enter Lever before he was engulfed in cosmic energy and transformed into Fourze once again. Once the change was complete, he shouted into the air, "UCHU KITA! DATTEBAYO~!" Looking back to the Zodiarts, he pointed at it, "The name's Kamen Rider Fourze! You and me, one on one!"

"_Fine!_" the Zodiarts snapped, before charging at Fourze.

The Zodiarts swung wide, aiming for Fourze's head. The Kamen Rider ducked underneath the attack before trying to uppercut the monster in the face. Still, Delphinus was able to back away or the punch to just graze him before he kicked at the Rider. Fourze blocked the blow, but he backed away from the force.

"Tough one," Fourze muttered. Looking down at the Driver, he saw that he still had he Hopping Switch instead of the Drill Switch. "Well, why not? More space out here." He tapped the Switch to activate it.

"_**HOP-PING-ON!**_"

The Hopping Module appeared on his leg and Fourze jumped, bouncing high into the air. Coming back down, he jabbed the Zodiarts in the head, making him stumble back with a grunt. Fourze of course bounced again, but he flipped over in the air, bouncing off the ground at an angle and launching himself back at his enemy. He flew at the Delphinus Zodiarts, managing to slug him across the face before continuing on before sliding across the ground, keeping the Hopping Module from bouncing off anything.

"Ha! I can totally use this Switch!" Fourze bragged. Bringing the Module back up, he hopped into the air for another attack.

"_Oh no you don't!_" snapped the Delphinus Zodiarts. Positioning his dolphin shoulder, it unleashed a stream of water out of its blowhole which impacted Fourze with a splash, knocking him out of the air. The Kamen Rider attempted to right himself, but he still landed wrong on the Hopping Module, sending him crashing into the wall of the changing rooms.

"Ow, ow, ow, ow," Fourze ground, sliding down the wall to the ground. "Damn that hurt." Standing up, he wobbled slightly. "Okay, I maybe need to practice with the Hopping Switch after all."

"_And this must be why everyone calls you a moron_," the Delphinus Zodiarts laughed.

"You know what," said Fourze as he turned off the Hopping Switch, thus causing the corresponding Module to disappear, "I think it's time I introduced you to a friend of mine."

"_**ROC-KET-ON!**_**"**

When the Rocket Module appeared, it roared to life and allowed Fourze to launch himself at higher speeds at the Zodiarts. Delphinus was taken off guard by the speed of the attack, being pinned by the rocket before the pair of them crashed through the fence that surrounded the pool. They continued to fly through the air the g-force keeping the Zodiarts pinned to the front of the Rocket Module.

The two rocketed over the city before Fourze saw a place which looked better suited to fighting than the school grounds. "This looks like a good spot!" Shifting his arm, the pair dove towards the ground. Fourze shifted at the last moment, dislodging the Zodiarts from his Module and letting him smash into the ground. The Kamen Rider allowed his feet to skid across the pavement before he shut down the Rocket Module. The pair had landed in an empty part of town near a water canal.

"There," he grinned. "Now we can go all out and I don't have to worry about causing Baa-chan any more grief."

"_Guh,_" the Zodiarts groaned, pulling himself back up to his feet. "_Oh I'm going to pound you for this!_"

"Keep dreaming," Fourze bragged, "I'm one of the best street fighters out there! Show me your worst! It won't beat me!"

"_Whatever you punk!_" Delphinus shouted, taking aim before shooting another water stream at Fourze.

The Kamen Rider dove to the side, slapping at a pair of Switches as he went. Rolling to his feet, he felt the machines come to life.

"_**LAUN-CHER-ON!**_"

"_**RA-DAR-ON!**_"

With the two modules mounted on his arm and leg, Fourze began his attack, "I learned my lesson this time! Lock on!" The Radar Module did it's work, getting a target lock on the Zodiarts. The the Launcher Module went to work on his command, "Fire!"

The missiles rocketed through the air, impacting the Zodiarts and sending him crashing through the air, smoking from the explosions and head. The air began to stink like burnt fish as the smoke drafted from the monster's body.

"Okay! Had enough?" asked Fourze.

The Zodiarts groaned before starting to pull himself back onto his feet, "_I won't...go back! I won't...be nothing again!_"

"Aw man," Fourze sighed. "Well, don't say I didn't try and do this the easy way for you." He went to pull the Enter Lever so he could do a Limit Break and get that Zodiarts Switch. '_Hope this isn't too explosive..._'

*CHING-CHING*

The sound came out of nowhere, literally. Pink/red voids opened in the around Fourze before silver chains launched out of them and attacked the Kamen Rider. They wrapped around his arms and legs, pinning him in place and preventing him from using the Limit Break to stop the Delphinus Zodiarts.

"Huh? What gives?-!" the white Rider gasped.

The sounds of footsteps sounded off, echoing even louder than any of the daily city noises could. Struggling in the chains, Fourze turned to the source. Beneath the helmet, his eyes widened when he saw a pair of Zodiarts approaching the fight, a man and a woman who were holding hands like a married couple. The guy was pretty ugly in Fourze's opinion, but he really couldn't say the same for the female Zodiarts. She was downright hot for a monster.

"_**So you are the one darkening the stars in our night sky,**_" the male Zodiarts spoke.

"_**First Heracles, then Aquila, and now you seek to add Delphinus to that list,**_" the female. "_**We cannot permit that.**_"

"What? Who the heck are you two?" demanded Fourze, struggling with his abrupt prison.

"_Y-you two?_" the Delphinus Zodiarts gasped, recovering from the missile attack. "_What are you doing here?_"

"_**Protecting your wish of course,**_" the female Zodiarts answered. "_**Now then, would you like to take the lead Anata?**_"

"_**Happily Koi,**_" the male Zodiarts nodded. Releasing his wife's hand, a flash of blue heralded the summoning of his sword, a large jagged piece of steel. Hefting the weapon up, the male Zodiarts made his charge, "_**Prepare yourself!**_"

"Aw crap!" Fourze panicked as he watched the Zodiarts charge at him, ready to cut him down. Struggling in the chains, he reached for the Driver to try and get something help him escape. Feeling the Rocket Switch, he hit the button on top, activating it.

"_**ROC-KET-ON!**_"

Bringing out the Rocket Module, Fourze had it roar to life and pointed it straight up. He immediately took to the sky, dodging the swing of the male Zodiarts' sword. The chains from the female one tried to hold him back, but the force of the Rocket Module was too much and they snapped from the surprising movement the female Zodiarts unable to adjust them before they broke.

Getting some distance from the pair, Fourze landed on the ground before shutting down the module, "Man. This is getting tough." Reaching into the sub-space pocket he pulled out the Camera Switch before setting it in. "Teme had better be paying attention!"

"_Camera!_"

*CLICK!*

"_**CAM-ER-A-ON!**_"

As the two Zodiarts recovered from Fourze's unorthodox escape, the Kamen Rider pointed his Module at the pair. The machine came to life and began to scan the pair and relay the data to the Rabbit Hutch and his friends. Hopefully they'd have an idea as to what to do. Preferably before he got his ass kicked!

* * *

**Rabbit Hutch**

"Shit," Sasuke cursed as he received incoming data from Naruto.

"What is it?" asked Hinata, looking up from her own commandeered terminal as she tried to find data on the Delphinus Zodiarts Switch that might be useful.

"Your boyfriend is getting double teamed by a new pair of Zodiarts," Sasuke reported. "And they don't seem like the run of the mill type either."

"Let me get the scan finished," Sakura reported.

_Scan Complete_

_Subject #1: Perseus Zodiarts_

_Model#: 09_

_Power Levels: MAX_

_Last One: Critical_

_. . ._

_Subject #2: Andromeda Zodiarts_

_Model#: 06_

_Power Levels: MAX_

_Last One: Critical_

"Oh no," Sakura whispered in horror, seeing the basic scan results. "These...these Zodiarts are beyond anything we've seen before! They're completely maxed out in every way a Zodiarts can be."

"I think we've found our dealers," Sasuke frowned. "The dobe had better get the hell out of there though or else he's going to get killed."

"Naruto-kun..." Hinata whimpered.

* * *

**Konohagakure - Canal**

"Okay," Fourze muttered, shutting the Camera Module down. He then swapped it out for the Radar Switch before he slowly began approaching the Andromeda and Perseus Zodiarts as they stood in front of the Delphinus. Both of them had their weapons raised and ready to fight, chains and sword both. "Let's do this."

"_**You will not run?**_" asked the Andromeda Zodiarts.

"_**Are you that determined to keep our dreams from coming true?**_" asked Perseus.

"You bet! The name's Kamen Rider Fourze! Remember that because I'm gonna kick your asses!" he pointed at the pair. "Dreams come true with hard work, belief, and friends to help you on the way! Your way just hurts everyone around you and leaves dreams broken and hollow!"

"_**Our dreams are more than any normal bond could achieve,**_" the Perseus Zodiarts spoke, raising his sword.

"_**Our love will see it to the end and grant us our dearest wish,**_" the Andromeda Zodiarts added, raising her arm and the chain wrapped around it.

The two Zodiarts crossed their weapons over one another. Red power flowed from Andromeda's chains while blue power emerged from Perseus' sword. The two energies merged above their weapons, flowing together and turning purple the energies became a large orb of plasma, looking like a royal purple star that was growing. When it grew to the size of a small car, the pair turned their hands palm up, which caused the orb to begin spinning like a planet, making wisps of further purple energy spin around.

"Woah," Fourze gasped at the sight.

The Delphinus Zodiarts was likewise shocked, "_I...I...I could do this too?_"

"_**Behold our unity! Our hearts beat as one! Our love shall live beyond the cosmos! With this we will make our dreams come true and make our strongest wish a reality! You will not stand in our way outsider!**_" the pair of Zodiarts shouted over the whistling wind their attack made. "_**Star of Ruin!**_"

Rearing their arms back, Andromeda and Perseus threw the large sphere of their joined power. Just moving cause the ground to tear up from the force it was exuding. Fourze gulped as he witnessed the attack coming at him. He swiftly reached to his belt, attempting to use a Switch to try and escape from the incoming assault. His hand grasped one switch before-

*KA-BOOM!*

The immediate area was swallowed in a massive purple explosion, the three Zodiarts being illuminated by the purple light. The flames spread a large radius, turning from purple to orange as more oxygen was introduced to the mix and dark cosmic energy was used up.

"_**Our task is done,**_" Perseus nodded, lowering his weapon.

"_**The obstacle is removed,**_" Andromeda agreed, doing the same. She then turned slightly to see the still shocked Delphinus Zodiarts. "_**Our apologies for seeing us at our worst. We simply cannot allow anyone to stop us from making our own wish come true.**_"

"_**Our hopes go out to you in making your dreams come true,**_" Perseus nodded. Taking his wife's hand, the two began to walk away like any happy couple who hadn't blown up a portion of the landscape just to take down one guy.

Delphinus watched them go before they vanished in a haze of blue. Shaking his head, he looked to the destruction, "_Oh screw this. I'm not taking the blame!_" Turning around, he hopped into the canal with a loud splash, vanishing beneath the water.

* * *

**RABBIT HUTCH**

"Naruto! Naruto, answer me! Naruto!" shouted Sakura. "He's not responding."

"Idiot must've gotten vaporized," Sasuke grumbled, "There goes the Fourze Driver."

**SLAP!**

Sasuke was stunned and Sakura was speechless as Hinata just slapped the Uchiha. She may have continued on to call him a number of insulting names, but her face was bright red and tears were leaking from her eyes. She was simply too choked up to speak even if she wanted to. Turning her back on the last Uchiha and his girlfriend, she ran out of the Rabbit Hutch to hunt down the focus of her affections.

Shaking her head, Sakura glanced at her boyfriend, "Sasuke-kun, sometimes you can be incredibly insensitive you know that?"

"Whatever," Sasuke sighed, rubbing his cheek.

Sakura stood up and ran after Hinata, exiting through the portal. Emerging from the portal into the equipment shed, she saw Hinata hunched over and crying. Feeling a wave of sympathy, Sakura walked over to Hinata and rubbed her shoulder. "Hinata..."

"I'm...I'm going to find him," the usually shy girl sniffled. "I'm going to find Naruto-kun."

"Good," Sakura smiled. "I have the perfect way. A little something we have stashed away for Fourze in case we had to move fast."

Hinata stood up, wiping her eyes, "Where is it?"

"We hid it in the auto class garage inside the special projects area," Sakura replied. "Lots of the gearheads are allowed to hold personal projects there so long as they pay a rental fee. It can track down Naruto fast. You just need to turn it on."

Hinata nodded and dashed out of the shed, racing for the garage. Sakura watched her go, silently praying that Naruto hadn't gotten himself killed. Hinata likely wouldn't be able to take it.

Speaking of boyfriends, potential or otherwise, Sakura frowned as she glanced back at the locker which lead back to the Rabbit Hutch. Sasuke's attitude was really starting to grate on everyone, her included. He was standoffish as always but he was taking things way too far. They needed Naruto to fight as Fourze and Hinata's help would be great in the monitor room and for research. It was like Sasuke was trying to drive them away so he could do everything himself.

"Seems like it's time for some Haruno-brand behavior modification," Sakura cracked her knuckles before heading back into the portal.

* * *

**Konohagakure - Canal**

It didn't take Hinata long to find the special project that Sakura told her about. It was a motorcycle which was configured similar to a space shuttle with boosters and aerodynamic design. Hinata didn't really care for the design though. She jumped on the machine and let it roar to life before she was off like shot. She had zero experience on riding a motorcycle, but she simply used the experience riding a bicycle to compensate. Racing at high speeds, she used the systems on the bike to find out where the Fourze Driver and Naruto were.

Finding the canal, she came to a stop outside of the crater area. She looked about in horror, fearing the worst with the ashen ground and burning trees. She quickly dismounted the machine, uncaring of the ash smudging her shoes or skirt, "Naruto! Naruto! Say something Naruto!"

"...Keep...your grubby mitts...off my ramen...Ero-sennin..."

Hinata paled at the sound of Naruto's voice. Dashing to the source, she hustled past a burnt tree that fell down before she saw someone's body partially covered in ash, "NARUTO!" Horrified, she ran to the blonde boy's side and rolled him over. His clothes were scorched and he was sporting numerous burns and bruises like he picked a fight with a meat grinder before being blindsided by a blowtorch.

"Naruto-kun...Naruto-kun...wake up..." Hinata whimpered, pulling his head to her lap.

"Uhhhh..." the blonde groaned. His eyes opened slightly, showing her was dealing with a bad blow to the head on top of his other injuries. He was likely concussed. "Hina...ta? Oh...hey. Did...Ero-sennin get...my ramen?"

Hinata let out something that sounded like a mix between a giggle and a sob. Relief dropped onto her, happy to see that Naruto was still alive and well. Tears dropped onto Naruto's face, making him blink in confusion, "Huh? Did...something...make you sad?" Naruto slurred. "Who did it...gonna kick ass..."

"Oh Naruto-kun!" Hinata sobbed, hugging the blonde's head to her chest. She finally broke out in heavy sobs both in horror at his injuries and happiness that he was alive. The blonde still didn't know up from down at the moment and was still thinking someone had made Hinata cry and so he had to kick their asses.

It would be a while before he got enough sense back to know that he was technically getting ready to kick his own ass.

Hinata didn't care either way what Naruto was thinking in the midst of his own concussion. She was just incredibly relieved to see that he was still alive. She wasn't thinking about her shyness or how embarrassing it might be to be seen like she was with his face in her chest. All she cared about was that Naruto was alive.

**To Be Continued...**

**A/N: and we see that Naruto isn't as lucky at being Fourze as he would like to think We also have some new players on the field handing out the Switches instead of one of the Horoscopes like in canon. Who are the Switchers for Perseus and Andromeda? What is this wish they so desperately want to have granted? Who can say at this point?**

**And now, more of the Prefectures**

**Nanokuni Prefecture: Definitely **_**the**_** highest producer of top quality produce that money can buy. It's no real superpower, being a farming prefecture than any kind of political power but it's sizable and has some pull if it needs it. The local leader hasn't been seen as of late though nor his daughter. Recently there have been rumours of a terrorist cell operating against the government there...**

**Torinokuni Prefecture: Nothing truly to write about in terms of political, educational or anything else, being just an average prefecture. However, one notable thing about the prefecture is the abundance of birds which either live there or migrate and use the area as either a destination or a rest point on the trip. It's a bird-watcher's paradise. The government's in a bit of turmoil as of late with the death of the previous leader and the young age of his children being an issue with the other elected officials in the office.**

**Yukinokuni Prefecture: A northern prefecture which is snowing all year. It used to be a pleasant vacation spot filled with ski resorts and other snowy places to have fun in. Unfortunately, after Doto Kazahana took the reins after his brother's unfortunate death the country has literally become as cold as the snow. All the resorts were closed down and Doto spends all his country's money on military advancement. The capital city of Yukigakure looks more like a dreary industrial town than the tourist hotspot it used to be. No one is sure of the Yuki Private School's status since all of the sports programs were cancelled and all graduates are forced to sign up for the military for a three year tour of duty before they can do anything else with their lives.**

**Oninokuni Prefecture: A very humble and soothing prefecture which is the religious centre of the continent. It still retains much of the forest and natural beauty since the prefecture is mostly inhabited by monks, priestesses and their families. Rather than a mayor or any true political office, the country is lead by a Great Priestess who makes the decisions that would affect the country. The schools are average and do Oninokuni proud, but the real points of pride are the Great Temples which aspiring priests and priestess learn and train for their religious roles. Legends state the great and powerful demon Moryo is sealed inside a hidden location in the country known only to the Great Priestess and her closest associates.**


	5. A Lonely Star

I do not own Kamen Rider Fourze or Naruto. I am only writing this for fun and for no kind of profit. If you like this fic so far then please enjoy If you don't sorry to hear that. Anyway, for those of you sticking around, please enjoy.

**Kamen Rider Fourze: Cosmic Maelstrom**

**By Ten-Faced Paladin**

**Chapter 5: A Lonely Star**

It had been a slow, arduous trek back to Konoha Gakuen where Hinata and Naruto could get back to the Rabbit Hutch. Fortunately, the lunch hour had ended and all of the students were back in class. With his arms slung over her shoulder, Hinata limped Naruto back across the school gates. Unfortunately for the pair, weren't able to sneak into the school itself like Hinata had initially planned.

"What on earth?-!"

Hinata gulped and turned pale as she heard someone gasp out in shock. Turning, she saw approaching the pair was one of the teachers. This one was a woman with long black hair and crimson eyes dressed in a smart woman's suit with high heels. She was Kurenai Yuhi, one of the staff. Fortunately, she was one of the people whom Hinata felt close to since the woman tried to be a mentor to Hinata in the past.

"Hinata, what happened?" Kurenai gasped, helping Naruto stand in his semi-conscious state.

"Uh...um..." Hinata gulped. She couldn't just say that Naruto got injured fighting a trio of monsters when two of which sent a massive sphere of power which exploded like a massive bomb. No one would believe her. Still maybe a partial truth? "N-Naruto-kun saw a m-monster at the p-pool and tried to f-f-fight it. He ch-chased it and it h-h-h-hurt him."

Normally Hinata's stutter would have given her away. Of course, with her in such close proximity to Naruto, her stutter was completely normal.

"That's what the swim team was talking about," Kurenai blinked. "Honestly, if so many people didn't have the same story and the destruction wasn't there, I would be inclined to say someone was playing a joke," she shook her head. "Let's get him to the infirmary so we can get him patched up. That thing must have beaten the tar out of him."

With Kurenai helping her, Hinata managed to get Naruto up to the infirmary where he was placed on the bed and the school nurse began to check him over for injuries.

"What on earth happened to this boy?" asked the nurse on duty. "He looks like someone set off a bomb nearby."

Hinata whimpered, hating the thought of how much pain Naruto must have been in. Kurenai winced in sympathy to her pupil before turning back to the nurse, "Can you treat him Kaori?"

"Well, he's a lucky one," Kaori sighed. "Get some bandages on his scratches, some ointment on his burns, and a new change of clothes and he should be fine. Most of the damage came from the sheer force he got hit with which I can only say must have came from a bomb unless he fell from a huge height or something. He's lucky he didn't break bones otherwise we'd have to take him to the hospital." Kaori shook her head. "Good thing he's got such a hard head. Kami knows I treated him after his scrapes enough times."

Kaori immediately got to work and began patching up Naruto's wounds. She muttered under her breath about blondes who cared too much with too little common sense. Hinata patiently waited, watching as Naruto was treated and for once not going into a blushing fit even if she could see his bare chest.

"I'll write you an excuse from class and send it up to Principal Tsunade," Kurenai reassured her student. "You stay here. Maybe seeing a friendly face will make for a pleasant wake up."

"Thank-you sensei," Hinata bowed to her teacher. Kurenai smiled and left to continue her job while Hinata went to find a chair so she could sit with Naruto.

* * *

As it was wont to do, rumours about the monster attack and Naruto trying to fight the monsters started running around the school. Since the blonde boy was in the infirmary beaten to hell, it all but cemented the rumours that he had tried to fight a monster that was threatening the students at the pool. Also, everyone wanted to see if Naruto was really beaten up as people were saying. So many people were sneaking into the infirmary, Kaori had to ban anyone but the sick or injured from the Infirmary.

That still didn't stop Shikamaru, Chouji, and Kiba was sneaking inside so they could see their friend. Kiba had sent off firecrackers down the hall, making Kaori leave to see what was going on. When the friends got inside, their moods turned down when they saw what happened to Naruto.

"Oh man," Shikamaru sighed, approaching the bed. Hinata was snoozing softly with her head on her own folded arms. "Naruto, you really got into something troublesome."

"Hm?" Hinata sat up, rubbing her eyes. Blinking the sleep out, she saw the trio at Naruto's bed, "Ano...who are you?"

"Friends of Naruto's," Shikamaru answered. "Shikamaru Nara."

"I'm Chouji Akimichi," the rolly-polly boy introduced, too depressed to even snack on chips.

"Kiba Inuzuka," Kiba sighed. "Damn, I haven't seen him this beaten up since he picked a fight with ten guys at once. He still walked away from that though."

"Did he really fight a monster?" Chouji asked Hinata worriedly. The heiress nodded, confirming the rumours which the swim team had started up.

"Sounds like something he'd do," Shikamaru shook his head. "If that thing was threatening someone then he'd definitely go fight it."

"Too bad he got his ass kicked," Kiba sighed. "Did the nurse say he was going to be okay?"

"Yes," Hinata nodded. "He is beaten up badly, but nothing was broken."

"He always was the lucky one," Chouji chuckled weakly. "Remember when the neighbourhood had that casino fundraiser and he ended up bankrupting the slot machines?"

"Lucky for them he gave back the money for ramen vouchers," Shikamaru smirked.

"I still say we should have played poker instead. Way more money in it," Kiba grunted, but the grin on his lips was there.

Hinata smiled softly as she listened to Naruto's friends talk about some of the funny things they knew happened around the blonde boy. Despite the reputation the three had as slackers or delinquents, they were in fact good people. Hinata could tell that they were nice and good friends with Naruto. She was a little bit envious that Naruto had such good friends. It was so easy for him to make friends while Hinata had just been so shy about meeting people. At the same time, she was happy to see that not everyone thought Naruto was a washout.

"Whyz ev'yone bein' so loud?" Naruto suddenly groaned, alerting the group to the fact that he was awake. They looked to his face to see that he was rubbing sleep from his eyes. The movement made him wince, "Ow...guess I didn't win. I was hoping that was a dream."

"Ah you dumbass!" Kiba laughed. "Only you would have the stones to take on a monster! Too bad you got your ass kicked!"

"I was there Kiba," Naruto grumbled. "I don't need reminding."

"Man Naruto, you've got to be the most troublesome person I know since Ino," Shikamaru groaned. "Glad to have you back though."

"You're gonna be a legend around school," Chouji smiled. "You took on one of those monsters running around even if you did get your butt kicked."

"Yeah, good thing Hinata here already staked her claim," Kiba laughed, pointing his thumb at Hinata who blushed at the implication. "The amount of chicks gunning for you is gonna be pretty damn cool. Now if you kicked that thing's ass it would be better but you know how it goes."

"Oh shut up," Naruto groaned. "I'm no perv!"

"Which means more for me!" Kiba snickered.

"Whatever," Naruto grunted. Looking to his left, he saw Hinata smiling in relief at his recovery. "Hey Hinata-chan."

"Mn," Hinata beamed. "I'm so glad you're okay Naruto-kun!"

"Heh, I can get over something like this easily," Naruto grinned, raising his hand to make a thumb's up but winced. "Ow."

"Ease up there tough guy," Shikamaru warned. "You get better before we have to kick your ass just to make sure you rest. We have to get going before the nurse comes back and chews us out for sneaking in here and setting firecrackers off in the hall."

"I'll see if I can sneak some snacks in or something," Chouji offered.

"See ya later Naruto," Kiba nodded before glancing at Hinata. "Take care of him will ya? He may be a dumbass sometimes but we've been buddies for years."

"Bite me Kiba," Naruto grunted. Hinata just blushed, but nodded anyway. The three boys left, the lack of an angry Kaori telling the pair inside that they managed to get away without serious trouble.

"You have good friends," Hinata smiled at Naruto.

"Yeah, but they can be jerks sometimes," Naruto sighed. "Anyway, What happened to the Zodiarts after I got knocked out?"

"They left," Hinata shook her head. "When I got there to try and find you, I didn't see anyone else around. I think they thought they k-k-killed you."

"Woah," Naruto grimaced. "Glad I managed to use the Rocket to make me fly backwards. That fireball trick would have roasted me if it hit me head on."

"I was so scared. I thought, I r-r-really thought you had d-died." Hinata sputtered, remembering seeing Naruto so badly beaten on the ground when she had gone after him. It was making her tear up again. She furiously wiped her eyes, trying not to look so weak in front of him.

"Hey, I'm alive. When I get back to my feet, I'm gonna have a rematch with those two."

"Don't be too sure, Dobe," said Sasuke as he came into the infirmary. "At your current level, going up against those Zodiarts again will just be suicide."

"OK, teme, did you just come to insult me or something?" Naruto growled.

"Sakura made me come," said Sasuke. He didn't miss how Hinata was scowling at him. He just hoped that the massive bump on the back of his head wasn't noticeable. "You must have some of the best luck. Not only did you find our mystery dealers, you managed to survive too."

"You should see me at slot machines," Naruto snickered. "Okay so what do we do about them then?"

"I'd say forget about them for now until we get some more powerful Switches," Sasuke shrugged, approaching the bed. "But knowing you, you'll just fight them if they try to stop you again. My best advice is keep them from holding hands. Seems like they need to be together to use that Star of Ruin attack."

"Huh, okay," Naruto nodded. "That's good advice."

"Good, you can listen," Sasuke nodded. "So where's the Driver?"

"I have it," Hinata drew the Driver from where she was hiding it under her blouse. Luckily no one was paying attention to her when Naruto was the one everyone had their eyes on. Otherwise they would have seen the bulge in her clothes that was not her bust.

"Good. Can I have it so we can recharge the Switches?" asked Sasuke, but then seemed to consider something for a moment. "...please?"

Hinata frowned, but handed over the Driver, allowing Sasuke to take it. Nodding to the pair, he left the room without so much as a goodbye or get well soon. Hinata's frown grew deeper as she watched him go, "I don't like him."

"Not many people do," Naruto shrugged. "You get used to him though."

"Naruto-kun, when you were hurt all he could talk about was the Driver getting damaged!" Hinata cried, "He doesn't care about who may get hurt in all this!"

"Yeah, figured he'd say something like that," Naruto sighed, shaking his head. "Part of my problem with him is that he can't seem to ever appreciate anything he's got. I mean, he's had popularity, good grades, a big family, and even has Sakura-chan as his girlfriend and half the time he looks like he expected it to be handed over if you ask me."

"Is that why you fight with him all the time?" asked Hinata.

"Sorta. Yeah. He's got that natural asshole vibe to him," Naruto nodded. "Me and Sasuke have been in the same classes since elementary school. We still hated each other, but back then it was different. Back then his whole quiet 'I'm better than you' attitude was the spoiled rich kid thing a lot of the jerks here have. Now though, after what happened to his family, it's because he doesn't want to make friends or anything like that because he's probably afraid his brother might come back and take it all away again."

Hinata blinked, "R-really?"

"I'm not book smart, but I do know someone who's hurting over something when I see them," Naruto explained. After all, he was in the same position for a long time being considered a bad influence or a loser, being shunned by a lot of people all his life. He got teased for years about being an orphan. Acting out and being the low achiever/ultimate prankster tended to make a bad reputation for a guy. It was education in understanding people he learned the hard way and knew very well. "Ever since then he's barely talked to anyone and hasn't gotten involved in anything. He's better now, but I think it's just a show so people won't look so close at him. He's not used to having people around him. Half the time I think he even has Sakura at arm's distance."

"I...didn't think of it that way," Hinata murmured. She had just thought like so many others that Sasuke really did think himself better than everyone because he was so successful at almost anything he did and was the heir to the Uchiha holdings. She didn't consider that maybe he was aloof so he wouldn't have to feel pain again.

"Well, he's still a dick and I don't like him all that much right now but I can't say I _hate _him you know?" sighed the blonde. "He just needs to stop hiding behind his stupid pride and emo-ness. Pulling his head out of his ass would be a good thing too. If he did that, I wouldn't mind being friends with him."

"That's a very mature thing to say Naruto-kun," Hinata smiled.

"Well, I have my moments," Naruto laughed. "Usually when I get laid up like this. So, think you can try to sneak a bowl of ramen in here?"

Hinata giggled. Naruto was recovering nicely.

* * *

Delphinus was currently relaxing after committing such a rampage. It felt really good to cut loose like that. The feeling of power was so exhilarating, and Delphinus enjoyed causing the rest of the students to flee in fear. Delphinus couldn't get enough of it and wanted more. However, that moron just had to come and spoil all the fun. Well, hopefully, after what Andromeda and Perseus did, that moron would not be able to do anything else.

Delphinus tossed up the Switch. It was just so amazing that so much power could be called upon in such a small and convenient package. Anything a person could want was at their fingertips with a Switch. Nothing else mattered but what the user wanted. All of one's problems would fly away and they could do whatever suited their whims. Rules no longer applied, social norms didn't apply, it was all out the window. Andromeda and Perseus had said that it was made to grant wishes. Delphinus now was sure that the two Zodiarts were telling the truth and that some big wishes were going to come true.

*CLICK!*

* * *

Naruto spent the rest of the school day in the infirmary and his guardian, Jiraiya, was called. Jiraiya came quickly because his godson was injured and Tsunade was there. Speaking of Tsunade, she wanted to know what her idiotic godson had gotten himself into this time.

"Brat, who the hell did you piss off this time?" Tsunade questioned.

"Uh...would you believe the monster that showed up at the pool at lunch?" Naruto ventured.

"Monster?" Jiraiya blinked. "What monster?"

"It's a stupid bunch of rumours that have been going around lately," Tsunade rolled her eyes. "Lately some vandals have been busting up portions of the school. Whenever there's a witness around, they all say that it was some kind of monster that did it. I think it's just guys in costume with too much time and no discipline."

"They punch like monsters if you ask me," Naruto muttered.

"Well, guess you should learn to pick your battles wisely, Brat," said Tsunade. "So you say it was a monster too huh? Not just covering for somebody?"

"No," Naruto frowned. "Trust me, it was too powerful to be some guy in a rubber suit."

Jiraiya frowned slightly at Naruto's response while Tsunade scoffed. While Tsunade immediately dismissed Naruto's insistence that the so-called monsters were real, the old perv considered it. Naruto wasn't one to lie. He sucked at it to be frank. It was one of the ways one could figure out if he pulled a prank or not. Either the costumes of these monsters were so realistic Naruto really thought they were real or...was it possible?

"Well real or not you're not going anywhere except home to recover!" Tsunade insisted. "Leave these thugs to the police. No more heroics!"

"No promises," Naruto grinned.

Tsunade merely groaned at the cheeky smile, "You're going to drive me into an early grave kid."

"Well, fortunately you only have to deal with him for a few hours a day. I have to deal with him at all hours," Jiraiya grumped. "Okay Gaki, let's get you back home so you can gorge yourself on Ichiraku's or something. You earned it after this stunt."

"You're praising him?" Tsunade frowned.

"After he had tried to help those swimmers?" asked the pervert. "I'd say he earned it. Besides, maybe getting the tar beaten out of him will be enough of a punishment for going after monsters."

Jiraiya helped Naruto slip out of the bed. He was able to walk, but his body was so stiff and sore it was difficult to move right without making the pain spike. Still, Jiraiya and Tsunade managed to help him get outside to the pervert's car so he could be driven home. Hinata drifted nervously nearby, waiting to see Naruto off. Once the blonde was loaded into the car, Jiraiya said a few words to Tsunade which got the busty older woman to smack him with enough force to knock him to the ground.

"You never learn, do you, you pervert!" the enrage principal screeched.

"You know me, stubborn to the end," Jiraiya laughed, looking none the worse for wear as he got into the car and drove off.

"Ugh. Pervert," Tsunade huffed. Turning back to the school, she noticed Hinata. "I thought the brat getting a girlfriend would mean the end of his stupid stunts. I'd suggest putting a leash on him if he keeps this up."

"Ah!" Hinata blushed. "W-w-we're just friends!"

"That what I said before I started going out with my man," Tsunade smiled. "Trust me. It was way more than that before I knew it. Don't be shy in taking it when you get the chance." Her smile turned slightly sad for a moment, as if seeing a memory. Shaking it off, she spoke, "Anyway, make sure to catch up on the classes you missed today."

"Y-yes ma'am," Hinata nodded. Well, it seemed like at least one of Naruto's important people approved of her besides his friends. The thought made her feel warm inside.

* * *

**?**

The Red-Eyed man sat at his chair, staring up at the night sky which hung artificially above him. While Heracles and Aquila were gone, the rest of his constellations were still hanging in the sky. He paid special attention to Delphinus, Perseus, and Andromeda. Blinking after a long moment, he looked down to the rest of his room, eyeing the forms of the same two Zodiarts with the constellations on their bodies glowing in the low light.

"I thank you for protecting Delphinus. Poseidon's scout remains part of our night sky thanks to you," the Red-Eyed Man acknowledged.

"_**Wishes to the stars are sacred and must be protected,**_" Perseus replied.

"_**We will not allow anyone to trample on them,**_" Andromeda agreed.

"And with those wishes we will take the entire cosmos in hand," the Red-Eyed Man agreed. "There all of our wishes will come true." The man seemed almost nostalgic before turning his attention back to the pair. "Please continue to watch out after our Delphinus until he can stand on his own two feet. We still need to find the rest of the members of our night sky."

"_**Of course,**_" the pair nodded before departing into the shadows where even their constellations faded from view.

The Red-Eyed Man watched them go before returning his gaze to the sky, "What will you do now Fourze? Will you abandon this path out of fear, or will you reach for the stars like I am?"

* * *

**Rabbit Hutch**

"Wow Naruto, how are you feeling?" Sakura winced as she watched Naruto enter the Rabbit Hutch with Hinata, covered in bandages still.

"Could be worse," Naruto grinned. "I'll get those to next time though! Dattebayo!"

"Only you could come back from near death asking for a rematch," Sakura rolled her eyes.

Fortunately, the school was closed for a day off which meant that the four members of the anti-Zodiarts group could work exclusively on their next task instead of worrying over time limits and when their next class was scheduled to begin.

"So any signs of that dolphin guy yet?" asked Naruto, sitting down at the main table.

"No. So far he's stayed in the dark since we last saw him," Sakura shook her head, looking up from her binder. "There hasn't been a sign of Andromeda or Perseus either so don't bother asking about them."

"I wasn't going to," Naruto huffed.

"Yes you were," Sakura retorted with a grin.

"Okay I was," Naruto huffed. "But I'm not dumb enough to go looking for a fight while I'm still all beat up like this."

"Sometimes I wonder Dobe," Sasuke's voice rang from the monitor room. Naruto growled at the comment but he didn't deign to give it an retort.

"Boys," Sakura said warningly. Both teens immediately backed down. "Anyway, where is Hinata? Wasn't she able to come?"

"I tried calling but all I got was that Neji dick," Naruto grumbled. "Said she had lessons of some kind. Then he said something about how she shouldn't spend time with thugs and then hung up on me."

"Ugh, I swear why are all the rich families such snobs?" Sakura huffed.

"Search me," Naruto shrugged, but then looked to the monitor room. "You have any insight Teme? You're a snob too aren't you?"

"Comes with dealing with idiots all day," Sasuke retorted. "You being the resident expert on idiocy."

"Teme, I will kick your-!" Naruto grit his teeth.

"Boys!" Sakura snapped. "Shut up and do something productive will you? Anyway, I was looking at the photoage of the attack from the Delphinus Zodiarts. It targeted the pool or maybe the swim team that was practicing there of all places first. Maybe if we keep an eye on the swim team we'll catch the Zodiarts in the act."

"Sounds good," Naruto nodded, his temper dropping again. "So when's the swim team supposed to meet up again?"

"Later today actually," Sakura replied lifting up a schedule. "With all of them in one place, maybe the Zodiarts won't be able to resist."

"It's better than nothing," Sasuke shrugged, voicing his own backhanded approval. "Hopefully Andromeda and Perseus don't show up again."

"Ah, I can take them," Naruto shrugged, resting his hands behind his head as he leaned back. "I got a foolproof strategy this time!"

"You're making this too easy Dobe," Sasuke snickered.

"You just wish you could come up with plans as cool as mine," Naruto retorted.

"However do I control my jealousy?" Sasuke's sarcasm replied.

"Ugh!" Sakura groaned, resting her head on her papers. Can't her man and his friend be pleasant to each other for five minutes outside of a fight or something?

* * *

**Konoha Gakuen - Pool**

"Okay everyone, your times aren't bad but I'm not doing cartwheels!" the captain of the swim team, Nana Iesein called to her team. She was standing at the edge of the pool in the school swimsuit with her black hair tied back. Her team was in the water, having finished their first round of laps. "Shii, you've dropped a few seconds on your normal time. Try to practice more often. Also, where the heck is Okyo?"

"She skipped again," one of the other members reported. "We don't know where she is."

"Dammit," Nana sighed. "Okay, let's get going on another round of stretches before we go for runs again. Everyone pair off and begin exercising!"

The swim team did as they were told, claiming partners and beginning to move through stretching motions and other movements to keep their bodies limber. Nana watched them work, making sure that no one was goofing around or trying to oogle her female members or try stretching with them as an excuse to feel them up. She'd seen her share of guys try that only to receive a sharp ass-kicking in return. They also had some competitions coming up and she was determined to see her team at the top since Kiri went to shit.

"One, two, three! One, two, three!" Nana barked, keeping her team going at a constant rhythm. "Keep it going! We're tops for the competitions and I intend to keep it that way! We're in this together!"

"Yeah right!"

Nana blinked and turned to see someone approaching her. she recognized them as a fellow student and began to frown, "Where have you been? Get in the water already so we can practice!"

"Oh please. You didn't even seem to care I was gone until I showed up," the student snapped. "If each of us are so important to the team then how come you never seem to care when we win something? Why is our own teammates won't say a word to each other. Why is it no matter how hard we try it's like we don't even matter?"

"What?" Nana blinked. "Hey, what's gotten into you? You're talking crazy!"

"Crazy? Or what everyone's thinking?" the student scowled. "What's the point of all this? What's the meaning? I'll tell you, none! So now, I can do what I want because it never matters now! I can do whatever I want whenever I want!"

"Are you high?" Nana gaped at the student. "Hey, wake up! This isn't like you!"

"Heh. Nothing matters," the student grinned lifting up their arm with what looked like a switch in it. "Nothing except what I want now!"

*CLICK!*

* * *

**Rabbit Hutch**

"ALERT! ZODIARTS DETECTED! ALERT! ZODIARTS DETECTED!"

Sakura and Naruto stiffened as the alarms went off, signalling that a Zodiarts had emerged. Naruto was up in a flash, looking to the monitor room, "Sasuke, where is it?"

"Back at the pool! Go get it!" the last Uchiha shouted.

"Going!" Naruto ran for the door.

"I've got Burgermeal!" Sakura added, running after Naruto with the burger-like machine in her hands. Sasuke simply kept to his monitor, trying to pull up any new data on the Zodiarts.

* * *

**Konoha Gakuen - Pool**

Naruto and Sakura dashed over to the school's pool just in time for numerous students in their swimsuits running for their lives from the chaos inside. It took some pushing and shoving, but the blonde and pinkette managed to get to the pool. Fortunately, the Zodiarts was still there cornering the captain of the team who looked like she had smashed her knee off something to get away. The Zodiarts in question? Delphinus of course.

"Here we go!" Naruto strapped the Driver to his waist, activating it.

"**THREE!**"

"_Hm?_" the Delphinus Zodiarts turned to see Naruto.

"**TWO!**"

"Round 2 you jerk!" Naruto yelled.

"**ONE!**"

"Henshin!"

Naruto hit the Enter Lever, transforming him into Kamen Rider Fourze. Clenching his fists, he punched the air, "UCHU KITA DATTEBAYO~!"

"_You again!_" the Delphinus Zodiarts snarled. "_I thought those other two killed you!_"

"Yeah, they missed," Fourze shrugged. "It seems that I just got devil's luck. Now why don't you take your grudge with someone who can fight back, one on one!"

"_Fine! I'll kick your ass myself!_" the Delphinus Zodiarts snarled before charging at Fourze with a cry.

As the Kamen Rider and Zodiarts began duking it out with each other, Sakura set down Burgermeal near the bleachers where the little robot began to scan the fighters for data and other important information. Fortunately, Burguermeal had an AI so it knew how to stay out of the way. That freed up Sakura to run to where Nana was down, her knee a worrisome shade of purple.

"Here, let me help," Sakura grunted, helping the girl to her feet. "Let's get you out of here."

"I...I..." Nana trembled, her eyes glued o Fourze and the Delphinus Zodiarts as they slugged at one another. "I can't believe she'd do this..."

"What? Who would do this?" asked Sakura, taking the long way around the pool to avoid being hit.

"Okyo," Nana sighed. "She did something to herself to turn into that fish thing." She dipped her head. "She...said that nothing mattered anymore, that no one even noticed that she existed. That we were ignoring her and never appreciating her."

"Were you?" asked Sakura, bringing Nana to the exit stairs. Perhaps if they figured out why this Okyo girl took the Switch to become a Zodiarts they would be able to convince her to give it up before it entered it's Last One phase and Naruto would have to get really tough.

"..." Nana grimaced. "Okyo was anything but ignored. She won us a few meets and everyone was excited. But...the rest of the team didn't want to rely on her. They wanted to be good like her too. I encouraged it...but..."

"I think I get the picture," Sakura nodded. "Okay, If we're going to help her though we have to get her to turn that switch off! Do you think you can get her attention and talk to her?"

"Uh..." Nana looked to the fight between Rider and Zodiarts. "I...I can try."

Nodding, Saura turned Nana around and brought her closer to the bleachers where Fourze had kicked the Zodiarts away. Burgurmeal continued watching, but so far no call from Sasuke was coming to give any insight. So long as the Last One state was still dormant then she was willing to try anything.

"Naruto!" Sakura shouted. "Pin her down! We have an idea how to stop her!"

"Okay!" Fourze nodded. His mind spinning for a moment, he quickly swapped out his Rocket Switch for another marked as Number 5.

"_Magic Hand!_"

*CLICK!*

"_**MA-GIC-HAND-ON!**_"

Pink energy appeared over Fourze's arm before configuring into a ten meter manipulating arm with a metal clamp on the end. Swinging his arm, the mechanical arm moved fluidly before wrapping around the Delphinus Zodiarts before clamping its waist. "Gotcha!"

"_Wh-what?-!_" the Zodiarts gasped.

"Okay! Go Sakura-chan!" Fourze nodded.

"Your show," Sakura turned to Nana.

The swim team captain nodded before looking to the bond Delphinus Zodiarts, "Okyo...we weren't ignoring you. Everyone appreciated everything you were doing!"

"_Oh bullcrap!_" the Zodiarts snarled. "_No matter what I did, you all just acted like it was business as usual! No one said thanks, good job, or even a pat on the back! Everyone just ignored me while they tried to push me out of the way! __Nobody acknowledged! Nobody showed me any appreciation! I was just a nobody and if that's the case then so be it! If I don't matter, NOTHING ELSE MATTERS!_"

The Delphinus Zodiarts unleashed a round of chirps from the dolphin head on its shoulder. The benches exploded from the attack, but the force of the blows sent Fourze and his quarry tumbling into the pool. The Magic Hand Module lost its grip as Fourze did, allowing the Zodiarts to kick off and swim away from the Kamen Rider. Surging through the pool like the animal it was based off, the Zodiarts leaped from the pool with a large splash, over the fence, and out of sight.

"Pleh! Ptooey!" Fourze choked as he splashed in the water, trying to get the side. It was made somewhat of a weird sight with the Magic Hand splashing around like it's wielder. "A little help here?"

Setting Nana on the remaining bleachers, Sakura walked to the edge of the pool where she grasped Fourze's hand and began to pull him out of the water.

"Good thing this suit's airtight," Fourze grunted, getting to his feet. Shutting down the Driver completely, he returned to his normal form. "Okay, so we know who the Zodiarts is?"

"Yes. Her name's Okyo," Sakura nodded, turning back to check on Nana.

"Wait, the swimming team's ace?" Naruto blinked. "No way!"

"I saw her change myself," Nana sighed. "I thought we were keeping her from being too pressured as the ace, but I guess we did the job too well. She thinks we were all ignoring her."

"That Switch probably messed up her head too," Naruto frowned, crossing his arms. "Okay, so we know who she is. What do you think she might do now?"

"The trophy case," Nana replied. "I've seen her staring at it a lot lately. Her name is on some of the trophies. It's probably the only place where her name is unless you count the yearbook."

"Great!" Sakura smiled. "We can head her off and try to take back the Switch!"

"Wait, I don't think just taking the Switch will be enough," said Naruto. "I mean, it's just a short-term solution, right? The way she is now, even if we take the Switch from her, she'll just be given another. We need to help her realize she was never ignored."

"Naruto?" Sakura blinked. "What are you talking about?"

"Sasuke already said that using Zodiarts Switches begins to warp someone just by using it one time and then after that it gets worse until they hit Last One, right?" Naruto explained. "Those two dealers are handing them out to people who are dealing with a big issue or are some kind of head case. If we take the Switch away but leave them with why they were given the thing in the first place, who's to say Perseus and Andromeda won't give them another one?"

Sakura's eyes widened when she saw Naruto's point, "You're right. The Zodiarts Switches amplify negative emotions with the dark cosmic energy that was used to make them. If someone is still a well of bad feelings, they can just pick up and use another Switch."

"Bingo! But I've got a plan to end this one!" Naruto pulled out his cellphone. Hitting an autodial number, he brought the device to his ear. "Hey Kiba? It's Naruto. Listen, are you still friendly with those girls from the Swim Team Fanclub?" He listened for a moment before frowning. "No, I'm not looking to try a threeway! I ain't Ero-sennin! What do they think about the ace, Okyo? Uh-huh. Uh-huh. Okay, bring as many of them as you can to the trophy case at the front of the school. Their idol needs some cheering up."

Shutting the phone off, he looked to Sakura and Nana, "See if you can help the captain here and I'll meet the others at the trophy case. Hopefully we'll wrap this up before things get out of hand." Saluting to Sakura, Naruto took off running for the school.

"I can't tell if what he said was stupid or smart," Nana blinked, utterly lost with all of the terms being thrown around.

"He's like that sometimes," Sakura smiled. "Come on, let's see if Kaori-sensei is still here and can patch up your knee."

"Right."

* * *

**Konoha Gakuen - Entry Hall**

The trophy case for Konoha Gakuen was sizable, extending over a large wall and filled with all sorts of large trophies which represented victories. All of the trophies had names of Konoha Gakuen students as the latest winners on them, thus why the trophies were present in the school. Standing in front of it was a girl wearing a plain skirt and top. She had fair skin and brown hair that travelled down to her shoulders. Her name was Okyo, the resident ace of the Konoha swimming team.

She was gazing longingly at some of the trophies that were on display. Some of them sported her name on them, marking victories she made for her school during some of the swim meets that happened in Hinokuni and even other prefectures.

"This is the only proof that I exist," she sighed. "No one else notices. No one else cares." She clutched the Switch tightly. "So why should I care? It should all be destroyed...crushed...wiped out."

The lights suddenly dimmed and music began to play before a spotlight shone upon Okyo. The Switcher blinked in confusion as to what was happening. Looking up, she saw that someone had wired a spotlight to the trophy case so that it would shine down on her. "What?"

"Okyo, you say that no one notices your accomplishments? That no one cares what you do?" a male voice spoke over the P.A. system. "Well, today's the day we prove you wrong. Okyo Sozo, prepare to meet your fans!"

Okyo blinked, looking out into the dimmed main hall, "My...fans?"

The doors of nearby classrooms opened and numerous students of Konoha Gakuen and began pooling in the hall. They were dressed casually, but they all certainly knew Okyo. Several of them were sporting badges with her face, pictures, in one case a plushy, and three boys at the back were wearing pink jackets declaring their love for her.

"Sempai! I'm so glad I got to meet you!"

"Our ace of the swimming club!"

"Could you teach me how to swim like you?"

"Please go out with me!"

"You're such an inspiration to me!"

"I wish I looked that good in a swimsuit!"

"Could you sign something for me?"

Okyo looked around, clearly stunned at so many people cheering for her or saying how great she was and praising her for her past accomplishments. She felt so overwhelmed at what she was seeing, but she felt a little warm about it. "Wh-what is all this?"

"Your fans," Naruto's voice rang, approaching with his hands in his pockets. "You are the ace of the swim team. It's only natural that you collected a few during your competitions."

"But..." Okyo sputtered. "But I never..."

"We didn't want to become a burden to you Sempai," one of the fangirls blushed. "We all thought the team was putting you under a ton of pressure with all of the training they were doing. We didn't want you to feel like you had to become perfect just to keep everyone happy."

"If you could do what you loved, we were happy with that!" another fan agreed.

"Turns out it was all one big misunderstanding," Naruto smiled. "Everyone didn't want you to become one of those super-obsessed athletes and gave you space. Turns out it was a little too much."

"Ah...uh...y-you mean..." Okyo blinked.

"You have all sort of fans rooting for you and keeping track of the awesome stuff you did," Naruto shrugged. "No one was ignoring you or underplaying anything you did. They just didn't want to pressure you into a point where you would put so much stress on yourself. There's no "I" in team and all that."

Okyo looked down at the floor, emotional at everything that was happening. It was a shocking thing to discover that for so long she thought no one gave a damn when in truth so many people did. She had her own fan club and her team was trying to relieve any pressure she may have felt by being considered the ace of the club.

"**_Such a splendid speech, wasn't it, dear?_"**

"**_Indeed, Anata. It was so beautiful._"**

That was when chains seemed to burst from the front doors before wrapping around Okyo. The swimming ace screamed in shock before she was pulled away from her adoring public and through the open front doors.

"Damn!" Naruto cursed, giving chase. "Everyone stay back!"

Naruto ran out the front doors, strapping on the Driver once again. Looking around, he saw Okyo being lifted up to the top of the school by the chains of who he guessed was the Andromeda Zodiarts. With a frown on his face, he hit the activation switches and began the sequence.

"_**THREE!**_"

"_**TWO!**_"

"_**ONE!**_"

"Henshin!"

In a flash of bright cosmic energy Naruto transformed into Fourze once again. Rather than go for his new catchphrase, he focused on the job at hand by hitting the Rocket Switch.

"_**ROC-KET-ON!**_"

When the module appeared on his arm, Fourze let it roar to life before he took off into the air. Coming to the top of the school building he landed on the rooftop before shutting down the machine. Looking ahead, he spotted the Perseus staring him down while the Andromeda Zodiarts was cornering Okyo.

"_**We will be with you in a minute Fourze,**_" The Perseus Zodiarts spoke. "_**We must deal with our shy constellation first.**_"

"Over my dead body!" Fourze snapped.

"_**Well, that can be arranged,**_" Perseus nodded, manifesting his sword. Growling, he charged at the Kamen Rider who bravely charged straight back,

As the fight between the men went on the two females on the other hand were having a talk. Andromeda stalked closer to Okyo, staring her down, "_**Why are you hesitating now when you are so close to having your wish granted? What's the adoration of a few when you could have everyone acknowledge you?**_"

"B-Because t-they would just be afraid of me!" Okyo trembled. "I just wanted people to see me! To know that existed and they do!" Standing up she stared the Andromeda Zodiarts in the eye. "I don't need your stupid Switch anymore!"

"_**Oh, is that so?**_" asked the female dealer. "_**Well, I happen to think otherwise.**_" Andromeda flicked her wrist, launching her chains once again. This time, smaller lengths wrapped around Okyo's wrists and neck, glowing bright red. Okyo's eyes suddenly dulled as her limbs lifted as if attached to puppet strings.

"_**Prove yourself worthy as a member of our night sky,**_" Andromeda ordered. "_**Use your power to crush the one who would shatter your wishes.**_"

Okyo made no noise as she turned and began to approach the battle between Fourze and Perseus. Lifting her arm, she had her Delphinus Switch held firmly in it. Is she prepare to use it, it flashed and transformed into it's final state, "**Last One!**"

"Huh?" Fourze blinked, holding off Perseus' sword. He spie Okyo approaching with her changed Switch, "Okyo, no!"

"_**Hm?**_" Perseus followed the Rider's gaze but then chuckled. "_**Ah, she can't hear you. My wife has her in her special chains now. Like how Andromeda of myth was bound by the will of another, so is this girl bound to my wife's will.**_"

Okyo then without hesitation hit the switch, engulfing her in the black void before the constellation of Delphinus combined with that darkness, forming the Delphinus Zodiarts. Behind her, Okyo's real body collapsed to the ground wrapped in that strange webbing material.

"_**Welcome to our night sky,**_" Perseus chuckled. He disengaged from Fourze and walked over to reunite with his wife. "_**We shall leave the outsider to you, as a test of your worthiness.**_" He and his wife clasped hands again before vanishing in a flash of blue. That left Fourze alone with the Zodiarts and he was a little unwilling after he had finally managed to break the downward spiral she was in.

"Okyo...you don't have to do this..." Fourze begged.

"_**Hn!**_" the Delphinus Zodiarts grunted, launching high pressure streams from her dolphin head. Fourze was forced to leap to the side as the streams left gouges in the roof. The Kamen Rider quickly figured that whatever Andromeda had done, Okyo wasn't going to be able to snap out of it. So he put his mind into full battle mode and prepared to fight.

"Sorry Okyo! But this is for your own good!" Fourze called, swapping out an Astro Switch.

"_Magic Hand!_"

*CLICK!*

"_**MA-GIC-HAND-ON!**_"

Bringing out the Magic Hand Module, Fourze began launching high-power jabs from the machine at the Zodiarts. The metal clamp smashed into the roof several times trying to hit Delphinus, but the Zodiarts was proving to be as slippery as a real dolphin. Maybe this was because she was in her Last One state and had increased in power.

'_As if she wasn't hard to beat before,_' Fourze thought to himself, preparing for another attack.

As if to counteract his last thought, the Zodiarts created a funnel of water around her legs which transformed them into a dolphin's tail while water surged around it. Momentarily stunned by the sudden change, the Zodiarts took advantage of it by actually swimming through the air and in a quick attack, smashed Fourze across the face with her tail.

"YEARGH!" Fourze cried out as the force sent him smashing through the fence surrounding the roof and falling towards the ground. "AHHHHHHHHH!"

The Kamen Rider landed heavily on the ground, making a crater in the shape of his body. Fortunately, the suit he wore was made to take big impacts so he survived with a sore back rather than being splattered across the ground. The impact also had the side effect of shutting down the Magic Hand Module. "...ow!"

"_**HYAAAA!**_" the Delphinus Zodiarts screamed, diving off the roof in her aquatic form, dropping down like a bullet to smash her opponent.

"Woah!" Fourze cried, rolling out of the way. The Zodiarts hit the ground, making an explosive impact which only deepened the crater. The self-proclaimed Kamen Rider pulled himself up to his feet again. "Okay, so you're tougher than you look."

"_**Grrrrr,**_" Delphinus snarled.

"Naruto!"

"Huh?" Fourze turned to see Sasuke and Sakura run around the corner of the building. "What are you guys doing here?"

"Passing on something," Sasuke replied, holding up a gold Astro Switch which was marked Number 10. "I was saving this for when I became Fourze, but apparently you need it more," he glanced at Sakura who shot him a look. "Take it!"

Sasuke threw the switch to Fourze who easily caught it. Holding it up, he grinned behind his helmet, "Thanks Teme! Maybe you aren't such a jerk after all!"

"Whatever," Sasuke rolled his eyes. "Just beat her already! It goes in the right arm section!"

Turning back to the recovering Zodiarts, Fourze removed his Magic Hand Switch before popping number ten into it's place.

"_Elek!_"

"Elek huh? Let's see what you can do!" Fourze grinned, flipping the switch.

"_**E-LEK-ON!**_"

Blasts of electricity collected around Fourze's arm, turning the gauntlet gold while in his right hand a weapon appeared. It looked like a stun baton with a black shaft and a gold handle. The odd thing was that the hilt had three electric sockets in it with a plug in the left one, connected to the handle. His HUD then scanned the weapon, calling it "Billy the Rod".

"Okay, let's see what you can do then!" Fourze grinned before charging at the Zodiarts once again. He swung Billy the Rod like a sword and struck the Delphius Zodiarts across the chest. However, it wasn't just the Zodiarts who felt the blow.

"Ack!" Fourze grunted. "The hell!?" He had felt like a stinging shock running up his arm when the blow connected. Fourze didn't have time to wonder what happened when the Zodiarts charged again, forcing him to strike it with the weapon a second time. Like before, both of them were dealt a damaging electric shock.

"Ow!" Fourze grunted, stumbling back. "Teme! This thing is hurting me too!"

"Then finish her off so you don't have to feel it!" Sasuke rolled his eyes. "You're the tough Kamen Rider, aren't you?"

"Okay, you try touching this thing then!" Fourze snapped, but his threat was cut off when the Delphinus Zodiarts charged once again, forcing Fourze to fight back. Predictably, another electric shock passed through the both of them when Billy the Rod struck again, "Yi, yi, yi, yi, yi! Ow!"

The Delphinus Zodiarts groaned, her body trembling from the electric voltage that coursed through it. Being wet from the attack on the roof, it only made the electricity that much painful for her. Still, it was a golden opportunity for Fourze to strike.

"Okay! Time to end this!" Fourze called. He grabbed the Enter Lever and shifted it, pushing Elek into overdrive.

"_**ELEK LIMIT BREAK!**_"

"GRAAHHHHH!" Fourze bellowed, electric voltage surging around his body, lighting it up and making him feel like he was plugged into an electric socket. Still, he had enough sense to remember who his target was. Gripping Billy the Rod, he charged at the Delphinus Zodiarts, the weapon leaving a trail of light as it went.

"TAKE THIS!" Fourze screamed, slashing at Delphinus with all the force his electrified muscles could muster. The attack struck home, smashing into Delphinus' torso. The Zodiarts screamed in pain as the attack struck, swiftly becoming too much to take before the Zodiarts exploded in a blast of heat and flames. Fourze stumbled out of the fire, gripping the Delphinus switch in his hand despite how his body was trembling from all the shocks he took.

"Ugh," he groaned, dropping to his knees. Holding up the Switch, he tapped the button which caused the device to collapse on itself like a miniature black hole. Last task complete, the Kamen Rider's armour vanished in a flash, leaving a trembling Naruto where Fourze once stood.

* * *

On the school's roof, Okyo groaned as her consciousness returned to her body and without the influence of the Andromeda Zodiarts' chains. She couldn't help but smile a little though as she tore the webbing away, feeling like she was free for the first time in a while.

* * *

"Damn this hurts," Naruto grit through his teeth. As if the wounds he still had from Perseus and Andromeda weren't enough? He reached into the belt and removed the Elek Switch. "Damn, you got a lot of power, but you hurt like hell."

"Are you okay Naruto?" asked Sakura, running to his side as Sasuke followed at a slower pace.

"Kinda numb," Naruto grunted, struggling to his feet. "Was Elek supposed to do that?"

"Never got to test it," Sasuke shrugged. "I'll see about fine tuning it."

"Well, it's got its field test at least," Naruto remarked. He would have preferred not being the guinea pig though! Shaking his head, he tried to walk but felt his balance leave him and stumbled. "Woo, not feeling very good right now."

"Okay, let's get you back to the Rabbit Hutch," Sakura grimaced, helping Naruto stand. "There's a living quarters there you can sleep in while the Elek's side effects wear off."

"Thanks," Naruto nodded, hobbling in the direction of the equipment shed. Despite the pain he was in and the numbness of his body, he felt pretty good about helping Okyo out of her funk and busting that Delphinus Switch.

* * *

Okyo managed to really start living again now that she knew she wasn't being ignored and that people really did appreciate the hard work she put into her training and the competitions she took part in. Her fans certainly like that since it meant that she would be more open and they could actually talk to her now. Likewise her team was relieved knowing that they had their ace back on their side. They were now hopeful for the future of their team, even if Nana continued to train everyone hard rather than rely on a single teammate

* * *

**Rabbit Hutch**

"Hey everybody!" Naruto grinned, entering the moon base from the portal. He managed to recover completely from his wounds in only a few days which was a relief for everyone who cared about him. Even with the setback from the Elek Switch, he was back to his smiling self in no time.

"Hey Naruto," Sakura waved, working on some homework on a window seat so she could look at the moonscape and earth in the distance.

"Hello Naruto-kun," Hinata smiled, cheeks pink once again. She had been so relieved when she heard that the Delphinus Zodiarts had been defeated and Naruto was recovering from his wounds.

"Hn," Sasuke grunted, not looking up from his work at trying to fine-tune the Elek Switch with little results.

"Great, you're all here," Naruto grinned, dropping his book bag on the main table. "While I was holed up trying to get better from those last fights, I had an awesome idea!" Opening his book bag, he pulled out what his three friends thought was a white flag before taking some duct tape and pinning said flag to the wall. On it was a cartoonish version of Fourze's head with the letters KRC underneath it.

"What...is that?" asked Sasuke, staring like he was looking at an obscenity.

"Our banner!" Naruto explained. "Like it? It's for our club!"

"Club?" asked Hinata.

"Yeah! The Kamen Rider Club!" Naruto nodded.

"Kind of makes us sound like an otaku club or something," Sakura frowned.

"That's why it's the perfect cover!" Naruto laughed. "To the rest of the school we'll just be a club of Kamen Rider enthusiasts who are trying to learn more about the monster attacks and the armoured hero who fights them. Secretly though, we'll be on the lookout for suspicious people and protect the school from Zodiarts and whatever other freaks are running around! It's the perfect cover!"

"Dobe, that has got to be-" Sauske began.

"That does sound like a good idea," Sakura nodded, causing an incredulous stare from Sasuke. "What? This way when we head off to the equipment shed or stay after school no one will think something weird is going on. It's just club activities and all that. High school students are expected to be in clubs anyway so no one would bother asking."

"And how would I explain this to the kendo team?" asked Sasuke. "If I don't show up as often as I do, they're going to start asking questions. Kakashi-sensei is going to ask questions too which we can't afford."

"Well fortunately we don't have a meeting schedule," Naruto waved off the concern. "Come whenever you feel like it."

"T-that does sound like a good idea," Hinata agreed. It would also give her an excuse to stay out of the Hyuuga Estate longer so she could spend time with her friends.

"Three against one Teme, you're outvoted!" Naruto grinned. "It's settled! Today's the day the Kamen Rider Club is founded!"

"I call president!" Sakura cheekily announced.

Naruto sputtered, "H-Huh? But Sakura-chan, I'm the Kamen Rider! I should be president!"

"I've got the talent for organization and leadership," Sakura smiled. "You'll be too busy chowing on ramen or fighting Zodiarts to do any of that stuff anyway. You can be like our official mascot."

"But...it was my idea..." Naruto pouted.

Sasuke rolled his eyes and continued on with his work. Why was it that everyone he met was an idiot in some way? "Kamen Rider Club. What a stupid idea."

* * *

**?**

The Red-Eyed Man frowned as he watched the Delphinus constellation vanish from his artificial night sky. Hardly the end of the world of course, but still worrisome in it's own way. Heracles, Aquila, and Delphinus were hardly the most powerful Zodiarts around but three avenues of finding the Horoscopes had been cut off.

"I think it's time to begin taking you more seriously, Fourze," the Red-Eyed Man frowned.

**To Be Continued...**

A/N: Okay, another chapter down and our mysterious antagonist is starting to see Fourze as more of a threat than he thought. What will he plan to do to end this disruption to his plans in finding the Horoscopes?


	6. A Sports Star

I do not own Kamen Rider Fourze or Naruto. They belong to their respective creators and not me. I am only writing this for fun and not for any sort of profit. If you like the story then that's great. If not, I'm sorry you feel that way and hope you find something more suitable for your tastes elsewhere. That said, let's continue.

**Kamen Rider Fourze: Cosmic Maelstrom**

**By Ten-Faced Paladin**

**Chapter 6: A Sports Star**

The Rabbit Hutch was once again occupied by the newly christened Kamen Rider Club as they went about their activities. Hinata was diligently working on homework while Sakura was reading a trashy romance novel she was a fan of. Naruto was chowing down on some ramen he got from Ichiraku's while Sasuke...

"Do you all have to bring your stuff here with you?" he asked, glaring at the new items in the building, namely some posters Hinata thought would make a brighter atmosphere and some stacks of manga and movies Naruto dragged along. Even Sakura got involved by bringing in some of her textbooks so she could study when the mood hit her.

"Well, this is our clubroom," remarked Naruto. "We need to make it more lively. White walls are kinda boring."

"This isn't a clubroom, it's a moon base, and there is no way I'll ever acknowledge your stupid Kamen Rider Club idea," Sasuke retorted.

"Well, three of us say it's a club so you're still outvoted," Naruto retorted.

"We should really do something more meaningful with our time than lounging about," Sasuke argued. "We haven't even tested the newly re-calibrated Elek Switch. Remember what happened the last time?"

"You need to ask?" Naruto frowned, rubbing his right arm. "That thing stung like crazy! I was numb for over an hour!"

"So, transform, get into the testing room, and let's see if we can fix the problem. If the Driver worked for _me_, we wouldn't be having this problem, but since it's stuck on _you_, we don't have many options."

"Ano..." Hinata spoke up, looking concerned. "Maybe we should save testing dangerous Switches until after school? If Naruto-kun got hurt then teachers are going to wonder how it happened."

Sasuke glanced at Hinata, but relented, "Good point. Electrical burns aren't easy to explain away, are they?" he glared over at Naruto, "You're not getting out of this though. We need that Elek Switch if we're ever going to have a chance against Andromeda and Perseus, much less whoever's backing them."

"Don't have to tell me twice," Naruto grimaced, remembering the pair's Star of Ruin attack. "I still say I can take them, but having some extra juice would come in handy."

"Good," Sakura nodded, closing her book. "In the meantime, I've got a project I want to get back to."

"Project?" asked Sasuke.

"Something to go with Burgermeal," Sakura answered, heading for the equipment room. "I'm almost finished."

"As long as its useful," said Sasuke, returning to his work.

"I've been wondering, why is a recon device modeled after a burger?" asked Hinata. "It just seems odd."

"That's the point of it," Sakura replied, scrounging for parts. "Most people look for spy gadgets disguised as harmless things and all that. See a teenager with a custom watch, cellphone, or camera you're going to wonder what kind of features it has. See a teenager with a burger, hotdog, or fries and no one will blink twice. You know what they say about teens and junk food."

"So, the next device will be modeled after food as well?" asked Hinata.

"You bet!" Sakura smiled. "Hope you're all in the mood for french fries!"

"Sounds cool! I wonder what it'll look like." Naruto smiled.

"That's a surprise!" Sakura teased back.

Sasuke rolled his eyes. He had real work to do, not goof around with a new Foodroid.

* * *

**Konoha Gakuen - Dojo**

The dojo on campus was the place in which the students who took part in various martial arts clubs would be able to practice without any concerns about space and such things. Since it was still early morning, barely anyone was around. Still, one person was still working up a sweat in the dojo for an early morning practice.

She was a student at Konoha Gakuen, but at the moment she was wearing a sleeveless chinese top that was pink with wooden ties down the front. She was also wearing chinese pants tied at the ankle with Chinese slippers on her feet so not to compromise her movements. Her hair was deep brown, but tied up in a pair of buns so not to get in the way. Her chestnut brown eyes were deep in concentration as she moved through a complicated kata involving a wooden staff, striking at invisible foes around her. She moved with practised grace and speed, showing she knew the movements like the back of her hand.

Her name was Tenten, the resident 'weapons nut' of Konoha Gakure.

Tenten since the day she had begun attending Konoha Gakure, had joined up with just about every weapons related club the school offered. Ancient weapons, archery, kendo, sojutsu, just about anything that dealt with weapons she wanted to be a part of. Considering her ancestry of weapon smiths and fighting experts going back to the feudal era, it was only natural she would have enthusiasm towards weapons.

Her enthusiasm showed in the competitions she took part in, smacking down just about everyone she had been put up against. Several universities were reportedly chewing at the bit for her to graduate so they could snap her up for their own sports teams.

Spinning through the last of her kata, Tenten finally came to a stop, her breathing only slightly heavier than normal. Closing her eyes, she let off a sigh of relaxation as she stood up. "Whew, nothing like a good workout to get the blood going."

Walking to a gym bag set at the wall, she pulled out a towel and a bottle of water. Drying her face off, she took a swig of water to cool off. She'd been practicing every day and she was feeling the burn of it. Her more vain classmates mentioned now and then how envious they were of her figure and how little she needed to do to maintain it. While Tenten was far from a frilly and boy-obsessed girl, she still had a feminine side that preened with pride knowing she had a figure girls wanted.

Still, Tenten wasn't keeping up her training for enthusiasm, skill, or even to help her keep a nice figure. She was getting her skills sharper so that when the time came, she would be ready to pick up the fight against those monsters that were stomping around her school. She had to be ready. She had seen what those things could do.

She had been heading home from an extended training section when she saw it happen. Out on the track the track team would use, she spotted what looked like a monster holding a large stone sword fighting a man in a white suit of armour. the pair of them were tearing the place up, showing how strong the monster was in the process. After that the guy in white suddenly had a rocket appear on his arm before they both ended up flying into the sky.

Hearing about the eagle and dolphin monsters that showed up afterwards only made her more determined to sharpen her skills. She did feel guilty about that one guy who ended up getting hurt trying to protect the other students from the monsters though. Still, it was just more inspiration for her to do her best and protect her school so no one would have to get hurt by their rampages.

"Well, I'm ready and waiting," Tenten sighed, looking absently out at the dojo. "All that's left is to find one of those things."

Some may call her crazy, but Tenten saw herself as dedicated.

* * *

**Konoha Gakuen - Hallways**

"Hinata-sama, I've noticed you've been spending a lot of time with Uchiha, Uzumaki and Haruno," said Neji.

Hinata's bodyguard/cousin was walking alongside her through the halls of the school as they headed for their next classes. Since the rumours of monsters were so far somewhat true, Neji had been ordered to keep a closer eye on Hinata in case something happened to her. He took the order as always, but he wasn't entirely happy with having to essentially babysit his cousin from monsters in the closet.

"Yes. I made some new friends," Hinata nodded, keeping calm.

"You are aware of your father's opinion of the Uchiha," Neji reminded her. "And you know everyone's opinion of Uzumaki."

Hinata sighed and then asked, "Why must we care for the opinion of others?"

"Reputation is key in many circles," Neji replied. "No matter how skilled one is, if they have no positive reputation no one will take interest in those skills."

"So, our family's greatness is dictated by others, not ourselves," concluded Hinata.

Neji frowned, "Hinata-sama..."

"For once in my life I feel like I'm making something of myself out of something I'm doing," Hinata sighed as they reached her classroom. "Even if it's something as small as being part of a group of friends, I picked them to be my friends and I made myself into their friend. I did it myself, not by anyone's orders." She asked, "Neji-niisan, have you ever once wanted to do something because it was something you wanted to do? Have ever once just felt that what you thought of yourself as the most important thing?"

"Plenty of times," Neji admitted. "But I never acted on that desire."

"And why not?" asked Hinata.

"Because I have responsibilities," Neji replied. "And you do too even if you are a student right now. Please remember that when you try to find more friends. Your current ones aren't going to do anything but damage the Hyuuga Family. You are the heiress so there is a lot of expectation on your shoulders."

"...Sometimes I wished I wasn't a Hyuuga," Hinata whispered, but Neji didn't reply as she entered her classroom.

Shaking his head, Neji turned to head to his classroom, "That is the one thing we have in common."

* * *

**Konoha Gakuen - Classroom 2-A**

"You're getting way too comfortable with those two around," Sasuke muttered to his girlfriend as they waited for their teacher to arrive for class.

"Well, it's nice to have some extra company in the Rabbit Hutch sometimes," Sakura shrugged. "Besides, Naruto and Hinata both are able to help in their own ways. Hinata's been helpful in research and study. I've even been teaching her about some of the tech we've got. Naruto..."

"Can use the Fourze Driver," Sasuke muttered, his eyes darkening.

"Stop that," Sakura huffed, bonking her boyfriend's head with a magazine. "You're too old for this emo crap. It was sexy in junior high but you're more mature than that now. Honestly, it's not hard to get along with them. Now that I'm with you and Hinata's staking her claim on Naruto we can actually get along and work together pretty well."

"Me and the dobe do not get along," Sasuke frowned. "As as long as he keeps being the loudmouth he always was, I doubt we will. Honestly, who shouts 'Uchu Kita' before every fight?"

"Well, it's kind of a superhero thing to say," Sakura shrugged. "With how Naruto is, he's trying to be a superhero for everyone in the school."

"A little too much if you ask me," Sasuke huffed. "It's going to get him killed if he keeps that idealism up."

"Nothing's wrong with having ideals," Sakura sighed. "It's what keeps you as the person you want to be."

"Tell that to the next Zodiarts that takes him down because he's too busy shouting," Sasuke sighed.

"Well, maybe we can get him to tone that down a little," Sakura chuckled weakly. "Still, it's kinda catchy."

Sasuke's unamused stare only made her giggle.

* * *

**Konoha Gakuen - Sports Field**

"HUT!"

The gym class of the period were embroiled in a game of American Football, the regular students against the members of the football team. The gym teacher and the team's coach had organized the game to see where the regular students stood and for the coach it was to spy out any possible new recruits for the team. The gym teacher Maito Gai had a lot of faith in his students, but the team's coach Mizuki sure was enjoying watching the students get steamrolled.

Gai was a spry man and was the instructor to the martial arts club, as in all of them. In unarmed combat, the man was a national champion. A lot of people wondered why he didn't go on to become some kind of sports icon, but passionately proclaimed that it was his duty to pass on his 'youthful' teachings to the next generation and so became a teacher. He was a tall man with strong facial features befitting that of a manly man, but it was offset by his bowl but making him look more like Moe of the Three Stooges.

Mizuki on the other hand was a little nondescript, only marginally standing out when compared to some of his more illustrious peers like Gai. He had silver hair which ran down to his jawline and wore a bandanna on his head when he was out at the sports fields. A lot of the students didn't like him considering his mean streak when it came to those that crossed him. He could act like a teacher though, but usually held it to when one of his peers or superiors were around.

Gai winced when he saw three of the football players tackle one student that had the ball, "What an unyouthful blow! So much force was hardly needed. What are you teaching those boys Mizuki?"

"Sorry Gai-san," Mizuki fake-smiled. "They're used to taking down other hardened football players. I'll tell the captain to have them tone it down."

"Please do," Gai frowned. "I have no intention of seeing my boys sent to the infirmary today."

Mizuki nodded and headed for the sidelines where the rest of the team was waiting their turn. The students didn't hold much hope that he would have the team give them any slack. He'd probably just have them be sneakier about their brutal takedowns.

"Worry not my youthful teammates!" one of the regular students shouted to his team. "We can still emerge victorious! With the power of YOUTH!"

"Oh shut up you lunatic!" one of the boy grumbled.

The loud student was an oddball named Rock Lee. He was the foster son of Gai who took the boy in after his parents died in an accident. Lee never explained what the accident was but people said that it was Gai who rescued him from it and tried to do the same for his parents. Since then, Lee had taken after Gai, even adopting the man's bowl-styled haircut and mannerism. People tried to bully him for the haircut at first, but when violence got involved Lee showed that he was also Gai's successor in martial arts, making him one of the best in the school. No one crossed him, but he was just such a goofball to so many no one saw the need to.

"Do not despair!" Lee insisted. "Our Youth will see us through!"

"Lee," Neji sighed, a fellow member of Lee's team. "Just calm down. This isn't an actual game. It's just Mizuki-sensei's excuse to have his team act like big shots and steal possible recruits away from the other sports clubs."

"Ah, Neji-kun! I'll not allow the brutes to look down on us! If we lose this game I'll run around Konoha Gakuen fifty times on my hands! If I fail that I'll-!"

"Huddle everyone!" Lee was thankfully interrupted by a team meeting to try and figure out a way to beat the gorillas that Mizuki had collected onto his team. "Okay guys, seems like Toshii's got the ball for those jerks this time. Lee, do you think you could-!"

*DI~NG DO~NG!*

"Hm?" Neji frowne as the chiming not unlike that of a grandfather clock or even a clock tower went off. "We don't have any clocks nearby."

"How strange," Lee frowned in confusion.

"Holy crap! Look at the football team!" another student shouted.

All eyes snapped to the football team who were huddled in fear and confusion. Why? Underneath their feet a giant clock face had appeared, big enough so that all of them were on top of it. The arms of the clock face were spinning rapidly, like it was on fast-forward. The football team as a whole weren't unaffected by the movement either. Their clothes and equipment started to lose its colour while the metal parts turned rusty an the ceramic pieces like their helmets began to crack and break. In morbid fascination the student team watched as the equipment and clothes of the football team aged and turned to dust, leaving them in nothing but their boxers.

"What on earth?" Neji frowned.

"What an unyouthful prank!" Lee gasped in shock.

"_Ah ha ha ha ha ha! Look at the rough and tough football team now!_" a new voice laughed. "_Oh they look real tough and manly don't they? Are those heart patterns on that one guy's boxers? Oh, and bumblebees! How cute! Ah ha ha ha!_"

"Who's out there?" Mizuki snapped. "Is someone messing with the P.A.? Come out here right now so I can kill you!"

"Mizuki-san, I don't think-!" Gai began.

"_Oh, the tough coach Mizuki wants to meet me? Okay!_" the voice grinned. "_I'm right here!_"

Mizuki blinked as the voice appeared behind him and he felt something smack him in the back, sending him tumbling to the ground in a heap with the breath knocked out of his lungs. Grunting, he turned to see who had the _gall_ to even so much as _touch_ him when the rage got caught in his throat.

A monster was what towered over him.

The monster was similar to that of an owl, the head was that of an owl's. It had a monocle over it's eye but looked like a clock face. Its torso was covered in protective armour that looked like wood, but with brass clock gears decorating it like war medals. Resting on both of its shoulders were clock faces, one going forwards on the right side while the other was going backwards on the left. Draping across the monster's shoulders was a cape that was styled like wings with gray feathers. It's arms were feathered but its forearms looked like they were covered in feathered gauntlets which hid the hands from view, but were wrapped in brass chains with pendulums hanging from them. The monster's legs were concealed by a second feathered cloth which was open on the front, but hung down to its feet. Said feet were black talons which could almost vanish in shadows, making the monster look like it was floating. Lastly was the constellation draped across it's body. A large green gem was on it's left shoulder which connected across its collarbone to a smaller one on his left bicep which passed to one on its forearm. A line drawn across the forearm connected to the gem on the monster's hip. Another line passed along the monster's legs, ending on it's right knee before extending down to it's right foot where the last gem rested.

This was the Zodiarts whose namesake was the timekeeper of the celestial bodies, the Horologium Zodiarts.

"GAH!" Mizuki screamed, crab walking away from the monster as best he could. Behind him, the football team likewise were backing away, terrified. It only served to amuse the new Zodiarts.

"_Oh, and here I thought you and your team of thugs were supposed to be tough,_" the Horologium Zodiarts chuckled. "_Well, there's no time like the present to test out that theory, isn't there?_"

With a yell, the Horologium Zodiarts lunged at the football team and their coach, causing screams to erupt into the air.

* * *

**Konoha Gakuen - Class 2-S**

Naruto stifled a yawn as he tried to pay attention to Iruka-sensei's lesson. History wasn't exactly his best subject, but perhaps if it was made a bit more interesting he may have had more success in the class. Still, his mind kept drifting off, trying to make some effort in getting through the class without a failing grade. With his luck though, Iruka-sensei would be calling his name and throwing chalk at his head right about...

"Chouji, stop staring out the window and pay attention!" Iruka's voice snapped through Naruto's half-asleep daze.

Wait, that wasn't Naruto's name.

"Sorry Sensei," the pudgy boy apologized, "B-but there's a monster outside attacking the football team!"

"What?-!" all the boys in the room snapped to attention and began crowding around the windows to see what was going on with Naruto in the lead. All but pressing up against the glass, they saw that indeed the football team getting pummeled by what looked like a big owl-man. For some reason though, the entire football team was in their boxer shorts which no one could explain.

"Damn!" Naruto hissed. Stepping back from the crowd where even Iruka-sensei was entranced by the violence, Naruto dashed out the door.

"Naruto-kun!" Hinata called to the blonde, following him out the classroom.

"Huh?" he turned to see the pale-eyed heiress. "Hinata-chan?"

"I'm coming with you!" Hinata insisted. Rummaging through her pockets, she produced the Burgermeal with the Camera Switch. "Sakura-san let me borrow Burgermeal so I can have it scan the Zodiarts while you fight it."

"Okay," Naruto nodded. "But you stay back while I kick this thing's ass!"

"Mn!" the shy girl agreed.

The pair ran out of the school, making tracks towards the sports fields. Quickly reaching it, they saw the Zodiarts taking extreme amount of pleasure in beating up the football team.

"_Not so tough now are you?_" it snapped. "_What's wrong? Can't throw a punch at someone who can fight back? Not so much fun now, is it?_"

"This is awful," Hinata grimaced at the sight.

"Well it stops here!" Naruto frowned, strapping the Fourze Driver to his waist. Hitting the activation switches, he looked to Hinata, "Get Burgermeal ready so we can learn something about this guy."

"Right," Hinata nodded, already pulling out the Foodroid.

"**THREE!**"

"**TWO!**"

"**ONE!**"

"Henshin!" Naruto shouted, hitting the Enter Lever and beginning his transformation into Fourze. The white cosmic energy passed over him, covering him in the special space-age armour. Activating the propulsion pack on his back, Fourze made a long leap towards the attacking Zodiarts, "UCHU KITA DATTEBAYO!"

"_Huh?_" the Horologium Zodiarts blinked, looking up from it's beating of the football team only to get a fist to the face. "_Gah! Ow!_" Shaking the stars from its head, it looked up, "_Who the heck-?-!_"

Fourze stepped forward to face off against the Zodiarts, "The names Kamen Rider Fourze! Let's make this fight a little more fair! One on one!"

"_They warned me about you!_" the Horologium Zodiarts grunted, standing up. "_You're not going to get in my way! They had this coming!_"

"Well, forgive me if I think differently!" Fourze charged at the Horologium Zodiarts to drive his fist into its face. However, it seemed that Fourze was slowing down. That was when the Zodiarts struck Fourze across the face with its talons, sending him sprawling. "Itai!"

Meanwhile, Hinata was using the Burgermeal to scan the Zodiarts, taking in its appearance and the constellation which marked its body. She just hoped that Sasuke or Sakura were in a position to receive the data and maybe help.

* * *

**Konoha Gakuen - Classroom 2-A**

Sasuke and Sakura were both showing signs of concern when their teacher had been abruptly called out of the room for some sort of emergency. That concern only got worse when the 'briefcase' Sasuke brought along with him was beeping. The last Uchiha picked it up and opened it on his desk, revealing it to hold several slots for what seemed to be Astro Switches while the rest was a terminal, relaying data. Sasuke activated the machine before bringing up the alert.

_Scan Complete_

_Subject: Horologium Zodiarts_

_Model#: 07_

_Power Levels: Moderate_

_Last One: Dormant_

"Dammit," Sasuke hissed.

"Another one?" Sakura frowned, looking at the small screen. "Is Naruto fighting it?"

"Yes," Sasuke nodded. "Hopefully he doesn't screw up."

"Sasuke, maybe you should have a little more faith in Naruto," Sakura advised. He said nothing as he continued to watch the screen.

* * *

"OIRAH!" Fourze yelled, kicking the Zodiarts across the face, knocking it further back. The fight had been going across the sports field, but the students had thankfully fled so the two were alone, ready to fight to their hearts' content.

"_Guh!_" The Horologium Zodiarts grunted after stumbling. "_Okay, that's it! I'm kicking your ass!_"

"Well bring it on! You're doing just _great_ so far!" Fourze taunted back.

The Zodiarts just growled, but then the clock on it's shoulder began to glow as the hands sped up. Rapid ticking sounds could be heard coming from the clockwork object. The Zodiarts then flashed as a clock face spread out from beneath it, encompassing a good portion of the field.

"What the-?" Fourze blinked, looking at the ground.

"_Now try this!_" the Zodiarts roared. The bird/clock monster then _moved_, going so fast that Fourze didn't even have a chance to move before something smashed him across his chest, sending him stumbling onto his back.

"Ow!" the Kamen Rider groaned. "What the heck was that?-!"

"_Like it?_" the Horologium Zodiarts laughed, coming to a stop. "_I accelerated my own time to make me move so fast you couldn't react to me in time! Isn't it neat? Not even you have this kind of superpower!_"

"Time?" Fourze blinked, moving to stand up. "You mean you can control time or something?"

"_Only in a certain area, but it doesn't matter,_" the Zodiarts laughed, obviously confident enough to explain it's ability. "_Once you're in, you don't get out until I say so._" The Zodiarts then moved again, blurring from its extreme speed.

Fourze felt another attack strike him in the back. He tried swinging wide so to catch the attacker, but the blur only swerved around him before striking him again. The Kamen Rider's world spun and he was attacked at several different angles at high speeds. Finally, he tumbled to the side feeling more than a little dizzy.

"_Ah ha ha ha!_" the Horologium Zodiarts crowed. "_How does it feel to have your ass kicked in fast-forward?_"

Fourze grunted as he righted himself, "Think you're so quick huh? Let's see if you can go the speed of lightning!" grabbing the Rocket Switch, he removed it for his newly re-calibrated Elek Switch.

"_Elek!_"

*CLICK*

"_**E-LEK-ON!**_"

The electric power surged over Fourze's arm, forming the golden gauntlet with the Billy the Rod gripped in his hand. Testing the weapon, Fourze swung it a few times and didn't feel any kind of feedback coming from it. "Okay. Seems like the teme did something right."

Grabbing the plug from the handle, Fourze plugged it into the top socket, allowing electric voltage to begin filling the weapon. Taking aim, Fourze slashed into the air, but a blade of electricity launched from the rod, crackling in the air. The Horologium Zodiarts tried to move, but lightning did indeed move quicker than he could. He got zapped, crying out in pain as he tripped backwards, the voltage crackling across its body.

Unfortunately, he wasn't the only one.

"YEOW!" Fourze screamed as electric voltage ripped through his own body, sending sparks off of his suit. "OW! Sasuke you bastard! You didn't fix this thing at all!" Gritting his teeth, Fourze pushed forward to try and finish the Zodiarts off fast before the pain became too much.

The Zodiarts grunted and pulled itself back onto its feet. Panting, it let out another battle cry and charged straight at Fourze at high speeds. It crashed into Fourze, making for another attack but Billy the Rod was pinned between the two of them. As expected, a blast of electric voltage erupted from the contact, sending both of them to the ground writhing in pain again.

"_Oh screw this!_" the Zodiarts grunted, pulling itself up. "_I've got bigger fish to fry!_" Using it's accelerated running speed, the Zodiarts dashed away fro the scene, leaving Fourze to write on the ground.

"Naruto-kun!" Hinata cried, running over to where Fourze lay on the ground. "Naruto-kun, are you okay?"

"Can't feel my arm...body tingles...just...peachy," the Kamen Rider groaned as his body convulsed.

* * *

**Rabbit Hutch**

Classes were suspended while the teachers and faculty tried to help the wounded football team. They were likely going to miss their next game, if not the next two thanks to how many of them were beaten down. There was token sympathy for them since they got attacked by a monster, but with the group of gorilla thugs Mizuki trained them to be no one really had a whole lot of real sympathy for them. Mizuki was of course baying for blood but none of the teachers were in the mood to hunt a monster. It did give students an ample opportunity to skip without anyone noticing. The Kamen Rider Club did exactly that, meeting up at the Rabbit Hutch to discuss what happened.

"The Elek Switch is still broken Teme!" Naruto growled, trying to get the feeling back into his arm. The Elek Switch was on the table between them.

Sasuke retorted, "There's nothing wrong with the Switch. If anything, you're not using it the right way."

"What's that supposed to mean!?"

"What I mean is that you're not using the Switch's full potential. Then again, I should've expected as much from someone like you." the last Uchiha frowned.

"Teme!" Naruto growled, standing up. "If you're such an expert then tell me what I'm doing wrong!"

"Like you would get it even if I did?" Sasuke scowled, standing up as well.

"Sounds to me like you don't know either!" the blonde snapped.

"I know more than you, like that's an accomplishment," Sasuke scowled.

"And yet you can't figure out why I'm the only one who can use the Fourze Driver," argued Naruto.

"Maybe it just works for you to compensate for any lack of real skill or strength," retorted Sasuke.

"And yet you were the eager one. What does that say about _your _skill or strength?" Naruto snapped.

"Say that again Dobe!"

"I'll say it all day Teme!"

*WHAP!*

*WHAP!*

A harisen (slapping fan) struck both boys across the back of their heads, courtesy of Sakura.

"Enough, you two! I'm trying to study the data but I can't concentrate with you two fighting like cats and dogs!" Sakura snapped. The pinkette seemed to almost tower over the two boys who were clutching their heads while Hinata fretted on the sidelines, not wanting to get caught up in the chaos.

"Ow, Sakura-chan..." Naruto groaned. Opening his eyes, he saw Burgermeal wheeling towards him, but next to it was a new Foodroid that had yellow claws and a body that looked like a box for french fries with the front flipped open to reveal a pair of robotic eyes. It's legs were dozens of metal fries. "Huh?"

"Meet Potekochin-kun," Sakura introduced. "I just finished him and he's powered by the Scissor Switch, Number 11." The french-fry based Foodroid squeaked and scuttled around the table. Burgermeal certainly seemed happy to see a new friend. "Hinata helped me put the finishing touches on him while you two were arguing over the Elek Switch."

"So what does he do?" asked Sasuke, rubbing his head.

"Mainly delicate tasks, transporting a Switch in the heat of battle or cut strands that either hold hostages or weapons that the Zodiarts use. With Scissor powering him, there's not much he can't cut through," Sakura explained, using the opportunity to distract the boys from their arguing.

"Cool," Naruto grinned, poking at Potekochin and letting it clamp onto his finger, playing with the new Foodroid like a pet. "Speaking of Switches though, can't I get any new ones? Since Elek's not working some extras might come in handy."

"W-we thought of that," Hinata nodded. Entering the monitoring room she returned holding two new Switches. "While Sakura-san was working with the Scissor Switch, she had me follow her instructions and I managed to make these two." The first Switch was marked Number 12 and was red with what looked like a speaker on top. The second was bronze-coloured and marked 13 with a spiked ball on top. "These are the Beat Switch and Chain Array Switch."

"Wow!" Naruto grinned. "You whipped these up just now?"

"She's been working on them since the day after you beat Delphinus," Sakura replied. "I told her to try to make one after I taught her the process, but she started with two behind my back."

"S-sorry," Hinata winced.

"I'm not making fun of you," Sakura reassured the heiress. "But next time just make sure I'm there to help if you're going for multiple Switches again would you? Cosmic energy can be a tricky thing."

Naruto took the Switches into his hand, "Man, I can't wait to use these babies."

"Just hope they don't backfire," remarked Sasuke.

"Hey, Hinata-chan's real smart so I bet she could make Switches just as cool as Sakura-chan can, maybe even cooler!" Naruto defended his friend, but it made the heiress promptly turn beet red as she tried to cover her cheeks. Sakura just giggled at the sight, thinking it cute.

"First, you should test them out to see what they can do before going out on the field with them. And, we need to figure out how to fight that new Zodiarts," reminded Sasuke.

"Well, here's the thing," said Sakura. "That thing's targeting the sports teams, right? How about we try and figure out who has the biggest grudge against them."

"You mean those jocks that Mizuki-sensei teaches?" asked Naruto, grimacing. "Everyone hates them though. They pretty much go around bullying the weaker kids who can't fight back. One time, they tried to bully me but I showed them I wasn't someone they could push around."

"Isn't that the reason you first got marked as a delinquent?" questioned Sasuke.

"Eh, it's bullcrap and everyone knows it," Naruto shrugged. "Mizuki-sensei just keeps covering for those jerks so no one can do anything about them. Used me as a scapegoat about the fight since the quarterback got a black eye that swelled so bad he couldn't see so he had to sit out a game. His own guy punched him when he tried to hit me and I ducked."

"Well, either way it's a pretty long list of people who would have it out for the sports teams, especially ones Mizuki-sensei has contact with," Sasuke remarked. It was no secret Mizuki made a 'survival of the fittest' mindset among his players or any sports team he subbed in for. It almost encouraged students to become bullies since they were big and tough while others weren't. "Where do you plan to start?"

"Well, the Zodiarts got the football team already," Sakura offered. "How many sports teams does Mizuki-sensei deal with? We can start there since we know he encourages bullying and spread out from that point."

"I should ask Kiba for help. If there's news or gossip, he's my go-to guy. Usually he just lets me know if someone's messing up the neighbourhood or when new hot girls are transferring to the school, but his group of contacts is huge," said Naruto. "He's more interested in the girls' sports teams mostly but it shouldn't be too hard for him to figure out where Mizuki-sensei does rounds with the others."

"That perv," Sakura growled.

"Do we have to bring someone else on this?" Sasuke frowned.

"It's not like I'm going to bring him to the Rabbit Hutch or tell him I'm Fourze," Naruto frowned, standing up. "I'm just going to ask him if Mizuki-sensei's involved with any other teams in the school," Bringing out his cell phone he saw the screen. "Oh yeah. No signal on the moon. Back in a moment." Heading to the door, he passed through back to Konoha Gakuen to make his call. Passing through the locker into the equipment shed, he quickly dialed up his friend, "Hey, Kiba?"

"_Hey Naruto. What's up? You skipping out too?_" came Kiba's voice from the other side.

"Sorta," the blonde replied. "Listen, I need to know if Mizuki-sensei's messing with any of the other sports teams on campus. I mean, that monster seemed like one badass with a grudge against the football team."

"_No shit,_" Kiba laughed. "_Seeing those assholes get their butts kicked was downright therapeutic to me. You think it might be after anybody Mizuki-sensei taught?_"

"With how how everyone hates that gang of thugs he coaches, probably," Naruto sighed. "Remember when you tried out for football? When you wouldn't kowtow to him he made up some bullshit excuse to kick you off."

"_Yeah, kept feeding us some crap about how we were kings of the school or were going to be or something,_" Kiba growled. "_It was just football man. Unless we were going pro, it wasn't gonna exactly be a life achievement. I was just there to play. So when I didn't buy into his crap he replaced me with someone who did. Called me detrimental to the team's function. Bullshit man._"

"Yeah, so does he mess with other teams?" asked Naruto.

"_Well, he spends a lot of time with the wrestling and boxing teams. Sometimes the baseball team too,_" Kiba answered. "_Keeps giving the players advice or trying to horn in on what the coaches are doing. If you ask me he must have been some weenie when he was in highschool and now he's trying to compensate or something by being the king of the jocks._"

"Sounds like it," Naruto sighed. Well, he had a lead anyway. "Thanks for the info Kiba. I owe you one."

"_Ha! You'll owe me double after this!_" Kiba laughed. "_There's a big party going down tonight at Area 44, you know, the club with the tower on top where rich kids can party on all levels?_"

"They call it the Forest of Death because of all the security surrounding the place in the trees and stuff. Break the rules and security is supposed to take you out there and beat you up," Naruto nodded. "I snuck in before but all the snobs there made me wanna puke."

"_Well, the jocks from the football, baseball, wrestling, and boxing teams are all throwing a party there and reportedly anyone could come but it's _encouraged_ that only sports teams attend,_" Kiba explained. "_And guess who footed the bill? Our pal Mizuki-sensei!_"

"Aren't teachers not supposed to give students gifts or something, especially coaches to players?" asked Naruto.

"_Yeah, but it's probably how Mizuki-sensei got his football team to act like he wanted them to,_" Kiba sighed. "_Anyway, hope this helps you out with whatever crazy shit you're planning._"

"It does Kiba. Thanks." Naruto nodded.

"_Later._"

Naruto snapped his phone shut, but his grin was unmistakable, "In your face Sasuke, I got a lead!"

* * *

**Area 44 - Evening**

Area 44 despite the plain name was a nightclub which was several stories high and each level was it's own party. A person could go clubbing on one level, have a bachelor party on the second, and a birthday on the third. It was one of the more popular places in Konoha's nightlife. Surrounding it was a decorative forest which had plenty of security hidden in it to make sure that no one snuck in when they weren't allowed to be there or people who broke the rules got their faces on camera so they could be tracked down later. Rumours also said that if security caught rule breakers then some muscle would drag the one responsible out and beat the crap out of them. So many would-be party crashers, rule breakers, and people trying to sneak in got busted in those woods that people called it the Forest of Death.

Naturally it was a place that minors weren't allowed into considering the booze that flowed and the occasional group of strippers that would perform during a bachelor party. Still, exceptions could be made if one booked a floor and obeyed the rules.

Such was the case that night as members of the sports teams at Konoha Gakuen arrived with friends or girlfriends. The bouncers at the door allowed them in after an ID check, but made it clear that they couldn't go anywhere else but the seventh floor which was the highest floor in the building. Any attempts at that would get their butts kicked out and possibly even banned.

Naruto was able to sneak in through the kitchen entrance.

He had done it before, once. He just dressed in a white coat and had his hair covered by the sanitary cloth meant to make sure no hairs landed in the food. So long as he looked the part and pretended he had somewhere to be, none of the cooks passed him a second glance. Heck, they barely sent him a first glance in some cases. He had learned the trick from one of Jiraiya's stories about things he had pulled in his younger days. Naruto doubted the validity of the old perv's claims but finding one of his tactics worked it made the blonde curious as to what Jiraiya got up to besides perving on women.

He had snuck in the last time because he heard that the parties were awesome and while he would never admit it to Jiraiya, his hormones got the better of him. Naruto had heard there were strippers on one floor that night so he snuck in to see them. Sadly, every floor he went to only had people dancing in the strobe lights and no exotic dancers in sight. Later he learned he got the day wrong but by then he had gotten a reign in on his hormones and decided not to try again. He double swore to himself that Jiraiya would never find out what he tried or else the blonde would never hear the end of it.

So donning that kitchen staff disguise, Naruto snuck into the back of Area 44, dodging all of the security cameras as he went. He just hoped that they hadn't changed since he last snuck inside.

The casual observer to Naruto's plan might say that it was a little stupid to sneak into the club building when teenagers were already allowed inside where their party was being held. Of course, most people may not have picked up on the hidden message that Mizuki made when he sponsored the part: _My Teams Only!_ So while he couldn't exclude students without showing blatant favouritism that would give him the wrong kind of attention, he and his boys could sure discourage others from coming that weren't on their teams.

And so Naruto decided to sneak inside rather than let the sports teams spot him and cause trouble. He had a Zodiarts to find and if it was after the sports teams, the massive party would be too tempting of a target to miss out on.

Passing through the kitchens, Naruto pretended that he had somewhere to be like moving boxes of ingredients to the freezer or moving to get some cooking implements for the other chefs. All of them were so busy making more food or the serving staff were running through the place, no one paid him any mind. Keeping his brightly coloured hair covered helped him stay under the radar.

Quickly finding the service elevator which went to the upper floors, Naruto slipped inside when no one was using it and quickly hit the seventh floor button, sending him straight to the top. Stripping off the chef outfit, he waited for the ride to end so he could make his search. As the elevator doors opened, he saw the hallway which led to the open floor and hear the loud music of the party on the other side.

"Here goes," Naruto muttered, heading into the hallway.

"Nu-uh!"

Naruto nearly choked when someone grabbed the back of his collar as he stepped out of the elevator and gave a sharp yank. Coughing, he was turned around to stare into the eyes of Anko Mitarashi. Naruto could face down Zodiarts and gangs of thugs, but if there was one thing that he knew better than try, it was crossing the girls gym teacher of Konoha Gakuen.

Anko was definitely one of the top ten hottest women in the school, right up there with Kurenai-sensei and Tsunade. She had black hair which she had tied back, but allowed it to spike out rather than hang like a ponytail She was pretty, but had the spark of mischief in her eyes that made her seem even more wild. Her body was something to be proud of too, voluptuous in all the right ways and with her gym uniform being a halter top and shorts, everyone saw the kind of curves she was packing. A lot of people said she had an exhibitionist streak, but Anko would just say she was proud of what she had and wasn't ashamed in showing it.

What made even Naruto so afraid of her was the fact that she could be downright sadistic when it came to dealing with problem students. Kiba once tried peeping on her class, hoping to catch the beauties in the locker room. Anko had caught him and while no one was sure what exactly happened, Kiba was beaten black and blue and had been a gibbering mess for three days. Anko said she didn't know what Kiba was talking about when he would say words like 'snake' 'pointy things' 'fishnets'' and such but the grin on her face would tell all. Naruto had tried pranking her once. Somehow she turned the prank around and he got caught in it. He cut his cheek in the process and she actually licked it off saying '_Don't mess with the best_!" The way she pinned him made the scariest, yet hottest thing he ever experienced.

He vowed never to cross her again.

It seems he failed in that.

"Well, well, looks like I got me a little sneak," the woman grinned.

"Anko-sensei?-!" Naruto squeaked in fear. "Wh-wh-what are you doing here?-!"

"Oh, just keeping an eye on my security and all that," Anko shrugged. "Being a partial owner of this place leaves some responsibility on my shoulders and all that jazz."

"P-Partial owner?-!" Naruto cried out.

"Yeah, managed to buy up shares in this place when it was a dump thinking my own playground would be fun," Anko replied. "Instead it managed to take off and I'm hauling in a nice profit. Like my day job too much to quit it though so I hang out here sometimes." She leaned in closer to Naruto. "Speaking of, don't think we weren't aware of your little jaunt here the last time. You just got out quicker than we thought you would. What, didn't like the venue or something?"

'_Or something,_' Naruto gulped, remembering his reason for sneaking in the last time.

"What makes me confused is why you pulled this shit tonight of all nights," Anko frowned, lifting Naruto by the lapels of his shirt. Anko may have been a sexy woman, but she was a downright _strong_ one too despite what her curves may have suggested. "This floor is reserved for the use of students tonight you know."

"Just the sports teams though," Naruto choked out.

"Not as far as I know," Anko retorted. "The booking forms didn't mention it was invitation only. Be straight with me foxy, just why did you decide to sneak in? If it was for a bachelor party you could crash I am so gonna hurt you."

"No, no, no!" Naruto waved his arms. "Mizuki-sensei paid for the party! It's for his teams only! Anyone else who comes is just gonna get harassed out the door or something! He's doing favours for all the sports teams he's part of so they'll keep doing what he says! We think that Zodiarts from today is going to hit this place and beat up every sports team member he can get his hands on!" In the midst of his panic, Naruto didn't quite realize that he revealed that he knew what the monsters appearing lately were.

"Wait, what?" Anko frowned, the mischief gone from her face. "Mizuki's pulling favors for his sports teams? That monster from today might hit here?" she paused as another thought hit her. "And you know what it is?"

"Ulp!" Naruto gulped. He blew the secret!

"Okay Naruto, spill," Anko frowned, setting the blonde down. "What's going on? Why would that monster be going after the sports teams?"

"Uhh...um..." Naruto sputtered. Finally, he just gave up the ghost...

"GOTTA GO!"

...and ran for his life.

"Ah! You little shit! Get back here!" Anko shouted, giving chase.

Naruto ran for his life, likely if Anko caught him he would end up dead out in the woods surrounding the club. With the rumours that had sprung up about the woman and what she did in her youth, it was likely she was capable of killing people who pissed her off. Either way, Naruto was in no mood for getting caught.

Dashing through the door into the part, Naruto began mingling with the crowds of dancing schoolmates, trying to get lost in the crowds so Anko wouldn't find him. He slid through the crowd rather than pushed through it so to Emerging from the other end of the dance floor, he began passing through some of the seating areas where food could be ordered. Passing by the tables, he swiped a jacket and a hat from empty tables to hide his blonde hair and the clothes he was wearing. Years of dodging teachers and understanding how people searched for things helped him figure out how to hide in a crowd if he had to. Usually he used it for pranks when he wanted to make a quick getaway. With the low lights off the dance floor and the dark colour of the garments he had on, he would be harder to spot than most people.

"Hope that throws her off," Naruto muttered to himself. His absent walking cost him when he suddenly bumped into someone. "Oh my ba-"

"Dobe?"

Naruto blinked, looking at the person he had bumped into and seeing the form of Sasuke Uchiha with Sakura jealously clinging to his arm. Around them, several girls were trying to make eye contact or were giggling over him. Sasuke played it cool despite how Sakura was growling and his hand was starting to turn blue.

"Sasuke?" Naruto blinked. "What the heck are you doing here?"

"I _am_ captain of the kendo team you idiot," Sasuke frowned. "One of Mizuki-sensei's runners on the football team invited me to come. I thought it would be a chance to see if the Zodiarts would come. Why did you come?"

"I came to make sure that the Zodiarts didn't come too!" Naruto frowned. "And if it did, I'd kick it's butt!"

"You stand out like a sore thumb here and you're not even on a sports team. Everyone will peg you as someone who shouldn't be here," Sasuke frowned.

'_Too late,_' Naruto trembled as he thought of Anko. "W-Well, if the Zodiarts does show up how do you plan on dealing with it if I'm not here? I can use the Driver, remember?"

"Hn," Sasuke frowned, but he didn't seem able to cook up an argument.

"Oh stop it you two," Sakura frowned. "You can both keep an eye out in case the Zodiarts shows up. Just stay casual and don't do anything stupid to stand out."

"Tell him that," Sasuke pointed to Naruto. "But then again, I think the warning came a little too late since he's here."

"You can just bite me," Naruto grumbled.

"I don't want to get infected by your stupidity."

"I said enough!" Sakura sighed. "You two are unbelievable sometimes." Shaking her head, she looked to Naruto, "Naruto, maybe you should explore the room a little more. I have Burgermeal and Potekochin doing recon so we'll be here for a while. If you find the Switcher then get that Switch away from him no matter what."

"Okay Sakura-chan," Naruto saluted. Tossing a glare at Sasuke, he headed off to blend into the crowds once again. Slipping around the dancing couples and partygoers, he tried to look for anyone who was there for malicious reasons. He could only guess what a malicious person would look like, but he supposed they would have that deranged look in their eyes like the other Switchers did when they were under the control of their own power.

"Where oh where did the Switcher go?" Naruto hummed, trying to keep his own mood light. "Oh where or where could he be?"

Hopefully he could find the guy before he decided to do some damage and hopefully way sooner than Anko-sensei would be able to find the blonde for breaking into her club. He'd rather face the Zodiarts without the Driver than deal with the angry teacher!

As he moved through the dance floor, Naruto took notice of someone that wasn't moving. He was just standing in the middle of it all with a grin on his face. He had a green ball cap on his head with orange hair sticking out. He also had sunglasses on which was weird for a club. He wore a green shirt with jeans, and had red designs on the shirt. Covering his hands were green fingerless gloves made for sports.

Naruto shivered at seeing the creepy grin on the boy's face. The boy didn't seem to notice him as he looked at everyone around him like he was trying to find something in the chaos. Apparently he found it though as he reached into his pocket before pulling out the familiar black and bronze form of a Zodiarts Switch.

"Damn!" Naruto cried, dashing for the boy to try and stop him from using the device. "Hey, you! Drop the Switch!"

"Hm?" the boy blinked, tipping his glasses slightly. "Oh? You know something about this thing? Awesome isn't it? Sorry, but I don't intend to share it."

"I don't want it!" Naruto snapped. "I'm going to get rid of it along with all the others! Now hand it over?"

"Izzat so?" the boy laughed. "Well, I'm not done using it so too bad!" the boy dropped his thumb onto the red button.

*CLICK!*

Naruto shielded his face as the boy vanished into a black void with a constellation emerging from it. The stars then flew back as the void vanished, revealing the form of the Horologium Zodiarts in all his feathery glory.

"_Now, I'm gonna really wreck this party!"_

"Aw crap!" Naruto grimaced.

The screams started pretty fast, everyone running to try and get away from the monster. The Zodiarts didn't seem to mind, actually laughing at their attempts to flee, "_Haven't the football jocks warned you? I can control time zones! So everyone, FREEZE!_" Horologium clenched both of his fsts together, spreading a clock face out from his feet. Many of the students couldn't get away fast enough and were caught in it's expansion. Those that were caught, they froze as if caught in ice.

"Woah!" Naruto cried, running from the expanding clock face. Fortunately, it only seemed to grow so much before it stopped. Skidding to a stop, the blonde turned back to see what the Zodiarts' next move was.

"_Okay, now all jocks prepare to get your asses kicked the high heaven!_" the Zodiarts laughed. "_You all brought this on yourselves! Your fault for thinking you were better than me just because you played a sport!_"

"Oh yeah, definitely has a grudge against the jocks," Naruto frowned. Retrieving the Fourze Driver, he strapped it to his waist and hit the activation switches.

"**THREE!**"

"_Huh?_" the Zodiarts looked to the sound of the call.

"**TWO!**"

"There he goes," Sasuke muttered as he and Sakura watched from their seats.

"**ONE!**"

"Henshin!" Naruto shouted, hitting the Enter Lever and beginning the transformation. A flash of white announced the change, having Naruto emerge as Kamen Rider Fourze. Raising his fists into the air, he gave his battle cry, "UCHU KITA, DATTEBAYO!"

"Seriously, does he have to say _that _each time?" Sasuke grumbled.

"_The hell?-!_" the Zodiarts gaped. "_You're the Kamen Rider?_"

"Yup! Kamen Rider Fourze!" the white Rider pointed his fist at the Zodiarts. "Now let's do this man to man!" Fourze lunged at the Zodiarts.

"_This again? FREEZE!" _Another clock began to grow from where the Zodiarts was pointing, but Fourze hit the jetpack function and began shooting through the air and avoiding the attack entirely. Coming down, he slugged the Zodiarts across the face with as much force as he could muster. It served to break the Zodiarts' concentration, ending his freezing effect on the other students. Able to move again, they began to run for their lives, leaving the flashing dance floor open for the fight.

"OK, let's try the new Switch out!" He took out the Launcher Switch and replaced it with the new Beat Switch before activating it.

"_**BEAT-ON!"**_

A flash of red came over Fourze's right leg, forming into what looked like a speaker. Pointing it at the Zodiarts, Fourze activated the machine. Immediately, the speakers began sending out a powerful base song which he could actually feel rumble through his body. For the Zodiarts it was worse since the soundwaves of the beats were smashing into him, causing him to clutch his head in pain. He may have been screaming, but the noise drowned it out.

At their position, Sasuke and Sakura were likewise clutching their ears.

"Well, not bad for Hinata's first try!" Sakura shouted over the noise.

"What?" yelled back Sasuke.

"All right! Hinata-chan hit it dead on!" Fourze praised his shy friend. With the Zodiarts distracted, he popped out the Rocket Switch before sliding in Hinata's second creation. He then spun the spiked switch, turning it on.

"_**CHAIN-AR-RAY-ON!**_"

Bronze energy covered on Fourze's right arm, forming a bronze gauntlet. Extending from the front was a long chain with a solid bronze-coloured spiked ball at the end, "Nice!" Taking the new weapon, he spun it on it's end a few times before taking a swing at the Zodiarts. The ball cut through the air before smashing against the Zodiarts' head, knocking it to the ground with a loud thud.

"Ha! Works great! Hinata-chan's Switches are awesome!" Fourze laughed. "Okay, let's get that Switch out of you before you make things worse and hurt someone!" He grabbed the Enter Level and pushed it again, putting his two Switches into overdrive.

"_**BEAT-CHAIN-ARRAY- LIMIT BREAK!**_"

"Yosh!" Fourze called, unleashing red sonic waves enhanced by cosmic energy which pinned the Zodiarts. He then swung the Chain Array in a wide circle, letting it grow big with cosmic energy as it began to shine like a miniature star. "RIDER SONIC SPIKE BALL ATTACK!"

"GAH!" the Horologium Zodiarts screamed, seeing the ball incoming. "A-ACCEL!" A clock appeared below the Zodiarts which was moving fast. Grunting, the Zodiarts sped out of the way, avoiding the sound and the spike ball, letting the weapon sash into the floor and crush that portion of the dance floor.

"Huh? Hey!" Fourze shouted before he was punched by the speeding Zodiarts. "Ow!" Scrambling to his feet, he saw the Zodiarts panting from where it stood, likely hurting from the sonic attack. Standing up, Fourze swung Chain Array a second time, aiming wide. For a second time, the Zodiarts used it's accelerated time to move out of the way.

Unfortunately, the Chain Array continued moving. With nothing to hit, it continued moving in a circle, wrapping around Fourze as it spun. He would have cried out in shock, but the ball finished it's rotations and struck Fourze...

*DING!*

...right where it counted.

"GAH!" Fourze screamed as the ball of spiked steel nailed him in the crotch.

"Oooh!" Sakura winced and even Sasuke couldn't help but give the Rider some sympathy.

"My...boys..." Fourze grunted, collapsing to the floor in a heap.

"_That, has got to hurt,_" the Zodiarts laughed at the sight.

"...Dammit...hold on...hold on, just gimme a minute," Fourze said as he tried to recover. It was hard since he was wrapped in chains and being hit in the balls by a mace made of space-age materials was never a pleasant experience.

"_Sorry, but it's time I wrapped this party up," _said the owl-like Zodiarts._ "Too bad, so sad, but it looks like the Kamen Rider is gonna be dead." _The kaijin extended its talons and began to approach the downed Rider.

"HUP!"

The sound of metal cutting air suddenly appeared before several metal stars collided with the Zodiarts' side. They didn't cut it, but sparks flew from the impacts and they hit near the creature's face, making it flinch and scream in shock, "_WOAH!_"

"What the-?" Sasuke gaped, noticing the attack. "Shuriken? Who uses shuriken these days?"

"I think they came from over there!" Sakura pointed to the emergency exit.

The pinkette proved right as usual as the one who threw the shuriken entered the room from the opened exit. All eyes were on the person as they entered, revealing themselves to be a girl wearing a black tank top with a white shirt tied at the sleeves around her hips and jeans. She wasn't wearing shoes, but in her bare feet. Bracelets dangled on her wrists and she even had earrings on. Her face was recognizable with an almost signature pair of buns on her head. Held in her hands was a polished wood staff, the likes a Shaolin monk would use.

"Is that...Tenten?" Sakura gaped.

"Sheesh! I come here wanting to party and here I get a fight," Tenten frowned. "Well, I was waiting to take on one of you guys anyway," She took a stance with the staff. "Now, one chance to get lost or I send you ass over elbows out the window."

"_Ha! Like a girl has what it takes to beat an evolved being like me!_" the Horologium Zodiarts laughed to face off against the school's weapons nut.

"No...wait..." Fourze struggled.

Tenten wouldn't wait. She charged at the Zodiarts with her weapon ready to strike.

"HIYAH!"

**To Be Continued...**

A/N: Well, we have a cliffhanger where our loveable weapons specialist makes her debut and tries to take on a Zodiarts. How will she fare? You'll have to see the next chapter to find out. Just what is the story behind this Zodiarts and why does he hate the jocks so much? Is it because of Mizuki, or something else?


	7. Five Stars Strong

I do not own Kamen Rider Fourze or Naruto. This is being written only for fun and not for profit. If you enjoy the story then please continue reading and show your support. If you don't like it then there are plenty other stories out there that are more your speed. So for my fans new and returning, enjoy!

**Kamen Rider Fourze: Cosmic Maelstrom**

**By Ten-Faced Paladin**

**Chapter 7: Five Stars Strong**

"HIYAH!"

Tenten charged at the Horologium Zodiarts, her wax wood staff gripped tightly in her hands. The owl-like monster charged back at her. As he drew close, Tenten twisted with her staff, lashing out with a strike to the Zodiarts' head, striking directly in the area of the ear canal.

"_Gah!_" the Zodiarts screamed, clutching it's head. While the blow wasn't enough to deal any true damage, the shock of pain to such a sensitive spot. "_You bitch!_" Clenching his talons, the Zodiarts lashed out with a slash of his talons.

Tenten ducked before swinging wide with her staff, striking the kneecap of the kaijin, making him curse and stumble. Off balance, Tenten stood and thrust with the spear, striking the side of the Zodiarts where some vital organs would be in a human. The Zodiarts made a huffing noise before stumbling back further.

"_Ow!_ _Okay, I'm done with this! I'm just gonna freeze you __on __the spot __and __kill you!_" Horologium bellowed, the clock hands on its fists beginning to glow.

"_**LAUN-CHER-ON!**_"

"_Huh?_" Horologium turned to see where Fourze had forced himself to his feet, kneeling with the Launcher Module activated. The Zodiarts' eyes bulged since he recognized a missile launcher when he saw one. "_Oh shit!_"

***SHEW! SHEW! SHEW! SHEW!***

The four missiles flew through the air, all aimed down at the common target: Horologium.

***BOOOM***

"_AHHHHHHH!_" The explosion devastated the dance floor, and the Horologium Zodiarts was sent crashing through a window. Sasuke and Sakura ran to the broken glass to see where the Zodiarts had landed, but other than some glass in the parking lot there was no sign of the monster.

"Damn," Sasuke hissed.

Over at Fourze, the Kamen Rider had collapsed, clutching his jewels once again. A flash of light removed the suit, revealing Naruto, "Oooooh. I need ice~!"

Sakura winced once again in sympathy to Naruto before she headed over to the bar area. All the booze had been removed in favor of soft drinks, but plenty of the ice remained. Taking one of the washcloths that the bartenders would use, she piled several ice cubes onto it before wrapping them up into a makeshift ice pack.

Walking to the groaning Naruto, she handed the improvised pack to him which he snapped up and pressed into his groin. "Only you could somehow crotch yourself with a space age weapon."

"I didn't mean to," Naruto groaned, sighing at the cold. "It just happened."

"Way I saw it, you were asking for an accident to happen."

Sakura and Naruto looked to see Tenten approaching, looking rather bewildered over something. She approached and looked Naruto over, "I cannot believe that the school's resident prankster is the armoured guy I heard was beating up these monsters."

Sakura and Naruto's eyes widened, the the reality of being busted landing on them, "Uh! This is...uh..." the pinkette sputtered, for once unsure as to what to do. Naruto on the other hand was feeling pathetic for lying in the fetal position and holding his balls.

"It's none of your business," Sasuke spoke up, approaching the trio. "Just go home and forget about what you saw."

"Hm?" Tenten glanced at Sasuke. "Oh, Uchiha right? So you're in the middle of this too?"

"Yes. Now just get lost and forget what you saw," Sasuke repeated himself.

Tenten leaned her staff against her shoulder, "Forget it? After what I just saw? No way." she looked to Naruto who pulled himself up to his knees, still holding the ice pack to his balls. "That was the absolute _worst _use of a flail that I have ever seen. All you did was swing the thing at random and hope you hit that monster. He dodged once and you ended up risking your ability reproduce."

"Oi, I'm not that bad!" Naruto huffed.

Tenten raised a skeptical eyebrow, "Not even the worst of my kohai in any of my clubs have ever crotched themselves with their own weapons."

Naruto slumped his head in depression.

"Ok, the dobe sucks and we all know it," Sasuke rolled his eyes. "What business is it of yours?"

"It's _my _business because these monsters have been attacking _our _school," Tenten retorted, poking Sasuke's chest. "And also this new one's been going after sports teams and I happen to be part of one myself!"

"And?" Sasuke frowned, obviously not seeing or not caring about the point.

"Now it's personal." the bun-haired girl replied. "So you guys can help me out or you can get out of my way."

"That's _our _line, and a wooden stick isn't going to help you beat a Zodiarts," Sasuke snorted. "Good luck _poking _that Zodiarts into submission."

"Like you guys and your rookie fighting skills are going to do any better," Tenten retorted. She turned and headed for the exit, "See you all later."

Watching her go, Naruto sighed and began limping for another exit, "I need to go home and sleep this off. Maybe eat some Ichiraku along the way. I just want to forget this night ever happened."

"This all could've been avoided if you tested the Chain Array Switch in the Rabbit Hutch beforehand," Sasuke commented in his usual backhanded way.

"In that small space? How?" Naruto sniped. "You saw how long that thing is!"

"Why not outside on the moon then?" Sakura suggested.

Naruto blinked, his crotch pain momentarily forgotten, "I can do that?"

If he was anyone else, Sasuke would have sweatdropped. Instead, he rubbed his head to hide the stress vein that was bulging on his forehead. "The Fourze System is a fully functional space suit, dobe."

Naruto blinked, "Okay, I'm testing that tomorrow after my balls shrink back to normal size...ow."

"Maybe you've learned something for a change," Sasuke commented while Sakura began collecting Burgermeal and Potekochin from where they were hidden. "Now can we leave before we get busted by the cops? Someone had to have called them by now."

"Then let's go," Naruto grunted.

* * *

**Konoha Gakuen**

Tenten did not in fact forgot about what she'd seen, but she did make a promise to herself not to reveal what she'd learnt about Sasuke, Sakura and Naruto. They were trying to fight the monsters too and even as rookies they were doing their part. It seemed like they had teamed up, which seemed pretty unlikely considering Sasuke and Naruto's clashing personalities. However, she had witnessed it for herself. They also seemed to know about these monsters as well. So, the bun-haired girl decided it was time to get some answers.

Konoha Gakuen was tense when people came to school the next day. Everyone was talking about the monster attack. Members of the sports teams were laying low and many of them weren't even going to school that day. Mizuki-sensei was livid, seeing how many of the jocks on his teams had been his personal little gorillas. Again, he was baying for blood but like before no one was really in a position to do anything about it.

That really didn't mean much to the weapons nut though. She had more important things to worry about like the answers to her questions. Tenten could be stealthy when she wanted to be, and also very patient. She had to be patient to learn how to use weapons. So, she observed them and waited for the right time. She saw Naruto meet up with the Hyuuga heiress and watched the girl flush as they talked. Like everyone, she heard the rumours of a veritable princess going out with a total delinquent. Tenten just thought it was cute how such an odd couple seemed to be doing so well.

She watched them walk around and then meet up with Sasuke and Sakura. There was an argument between the boys which Sakura rapped Sasuke over the head while Hinata fretted to the point Naruto stopped fighting so to calm her down. It got kind of weird when Tenten spotted them going into the storage room, she wondered what they were up to. There were way more intimate and/or romantic places for a pair of couples to have a double lunch date. Confused, Tenten decided to follow them inside, only to see that it was empty save for the objects stored within.

"What? Huh?" Tenten looked about the storage room. "Where the hell did they go?" She then saw the locker and saw that the door was slightly ajar. Curiosity got the better of her and so she opened it, only for her eyes to go wide at what she saw inside. "This...tis is...?"

* * *

**Rabbit Hutch**

"UCHU KITA!" Fourze cheered as he was on the surface of the moon. "This is awesome! We're actually walking on the moon!" Accompanying him was Sakura who was in a spacesuit of her own.

"Don't make too much of a deal out of it," chuckled the pinkette. The pair of them were bouncing over the gray moonscape, admiring the stars and the view of the earth. For Fourze, it was without a doubt the coolest thing that he had ever seen in his life.

"Hinata-chan, you should see the view! It's awesome!" Fourze exclaimed.

Hinata and Sasuke were monitoring from inside the Rabbit Hutch. Sasuke was enjoying the relative peace and quiet which allowed him to try and run some more numbers while working on the Elek Switch again. Hinata was smiling, seated at the window with her chin resting in her hands. Burguemeal and Potekochin were next to her, squeaking their admiration of the scene to echo Naruto.

"I know," Hinata smiled. "Maybe you can find where Neil Armstrong first stepped on the moon."

"What an idiot," Sasuke muttered.

"Naruto-kun's just spirited," Hinata defended.

Sasuke would have retorted with a choice comment of his own, but they were interrupted by the entrance of the Rabbit Hutch opening. At first Sasuke thought he accidentally hit a command to open the door or something. Hinata's squeaking gasp of shock told him otherwise. Standing up, Sasuke entered the main area of the base to stiffen in shock. There on the floor of the base after having just stumbled in was Tenten, looking just as shocked and surprised as the others in the room.

"Ano...Tenten-san?" Hinata gasped.

"Where the heck am I?" the weapons user asked rather bluntly.

"We should really lock the storage room door from now on," Sasuke mumbled, "Anyone could just stumble right in."

Tenten pulled herself up to her feet, looking around the room in shock. It was completely amazing to her. As she explored with her eyes, she took notice of the window showing the scene of the moon's surface and the Earth in the back. Her eyes bulged before she dashed to the window, almost pressing her face against the glass.

"Holy shit! Are we on the moon?-!" she cried out.

"Ano...yes?" Hinata hesitantly nodded.

"How is that possible!? I just walked into a locker and now I'm on the moon!" She pressed her hand against the wall, trying to get hold of her bearing, but accidentally pressing the switch which turned off the Rabbit Hutch's artificial gravity.

"Waugh!" Tenten screamed, lifting into the air.

"EEE!" Hinata cried, pushing her skirt down by reflex.

"Dammit. You shut down the artificial gravity. Hold on a second," Sasuke sighed. Pushing himself through the air, he came up to the switch that Tenten had hit and turned it back on. Everybody abruptly dropped to the ground, Tenten and Hinata on their butts while Sasuke landed on his feet.

Sasuke looked down at Tenten, "Don't touch anything unless I say so, got it?"

"Right, right," Tenten sighed. "But...what is all this? How'd you guys get a fucking moon base?"

"It was already here when we found it," said Hinata.

"Hyuga, don't tell her anything more," Sasuke scolded. "She shouldn't even be here to begin with."

Hinata flinched slightly, but Tenten just frowned, "Well I'm here now so how about giving some answers? I knew you guys were probably in deep with these monsters and crap, but this seems like you guys are in all the way!"

Sasuke frowned. Were people going to just get themselves involved in the fight against Zodiarts whenever they felt like it? The door leading out to the moon opened up as Naruto and Sakura came in.

"OK, I think I got the hang of the Chain Array Switch," said Naruto.

"I don't think almost hitting yourself in the head counts," Sakura remarked. "And then you hit yourself in the gut."

"Yeah..." Naruto winced, rubbing his sore stomach. Looking to the rest of the Rabbit Hutch, he saw a new face, "Hey, it's Panda-chan!"

'_Panda?_' Tenten sweatdropped at the nickname.

"Tenten?-!" Sakura gaped.

"Yo," the new girl smiled. "You guys were pretty easy to follow. The locker thing was kind of a surprise though." she bopped Sasuke's shoulder. "Uchiha here was just about to tell me what the heck was going on with you guys."

"Like hell I was," Sasuke frowned. "Actually, I was considering expelling you via the airlock," his glare was almost laser-like as he stared down the bun-haired girl.

"Sasuke!" Sakura snapped.

"Well," Naruto scratched the back of his head. "If she made it here it's not like we can force her to keep quiet. May as well tell her everything so she doesn't end up talking about it to the wrong person and gets us all busted."

Sasuke's glare turned to Naruto, "Dobe, I swear if you say one word-!"

"First of all, welcome the the Kamen Rider Club!" Naruto greeted Tenten.

"The what?" the bun-haired girl blinked.

"We're the club on campus that deals with all Zodiarts related activities and we go out and stop them!" Naruto explained, pointing at the flag. He dashed over to where his personal manga and DVD's were stashed. "Hold on, I brought diagrams for new member orientation."

"You really thought out this club thing, didn't you?" Sakura giggled, Hinata tittering with her.

"We're not on campus, we're on the moon, and there's no such club," denied Sasuke.

"You were outvoted three to one Teme!" Naruto snapped back, retrieving what looked like photographs and papers. He then ran to the equipment room where spare parts and supplies of the base were kept before retrieving a whiteboard.

"Excuse me, but why do you need an orientation? I don't remember applying," Tenten spoke up.

"You want to fight Zodiarts too, right?" asked Naruto, slapping the photos to the whiteboard with magnets. "So why don't we just team up? We'll have each others' backs and everything."

"But..." Tenten tried to argue.

"Just let him be," Sakura advised. "Apparently he's put a lot of effort into this."

"OK, so basically, a pair of Zodiarts are distributing Switches to disgruntled students, turning them into Zodiarts as well," began Naruto, pointing at photos of past Zodiarts including Perseus and Andromeda along with a file photo of what a Zodiarts Switch looked like. "That's where we come in. The only way to stop the Zodiarts is to take their Switches away and persuade them that they don't need them anymore. And if that doesn't work..."

Sakura continued, "The Zodiarts will go into a stage called Last One where they discard their human bodies and their consciousness gets transferred into their Zodiarts avatars, making them stronger and more powerful."

"Exactly," Naruto nodded. "After that, their bodies become filled with cosmic energy and defeating them is like setting off a massive bomb so we have to try and stop them from reaching this stage or taking steps to defeat them where there won't be any collateral damage."

"Each of the Zodiarts so far have been based off the eighty-eight constellations in the sky," Hinata chimed in. "Each one gains abilities based off that constellation. We believe that the two dealers Perseus and Andromeda are searching for specific Zodiarts called Horoscopes. We aren't sure, but we suspect them to be based off the western zodiac."

"Did you all plan this behind my back?" Sasuke frowned. It sounded way too co-ordinated to be random to him.

"You were with the Kendo team and we just thought we set all this up in case we needed to review," said Sakura. "Naruto turned it into new member orientation."

"I need aspirin," Sasuke sighed. "No one talk to me. I need to work on the Elek Switch."

Tenten watched him go and even so far as to seal the chamber behind him, frowning, "Bright ray of sunshine isn't he? Why is he considered such a heartthrob again?"

"He had that lone wolf sexy badass thing going on," Sakura sighed. "Still does, but it gets cranked up to eleven sometimes. I love him, but it can get annoying sometimes."

"Right," Tenten nodded. "How do you deal with it?"

"I just got used to it, I guess," said Sakura.

"So, what were you both doing outside?" Tenten asked, checking the view again, still having a little trouble believing that they were on the moon of all places.

"Helping Naruto master the Chain Array Switch," Sakura answered.

"You mean that flail? I remember. That was the worst handling of a weapon I've ever seen." She addressed Naruto, "I'm surprised you even got this far with little formal training. Sure, you can fight but you seem to rely more on brute force than skill."

"Hey, I do just fine," Naruto huffed.

"Just fine isn't going to make sure you beat all the Zodiarts either," Tenten retorted. "I bet those two dealers are way more powerful than the rest, aren't they?"

"Well..." the blonde winced.

"They are," Hinata nodded, remembering how badly Naruto was wounded when he tried fighting the pair before. "Ano...Tenten-san, do you think you could give Naruto-kun some tips on how to fight?"

"Well, since you asked so nicely," Tenten grinned. "I do know a thing or two about weapons. I can probably have you using that flail like a master in no time if you stick with me. I can totally get the dojo free for lessons after school today."

"Uh...hey...don't I have to agree first?" asked Naruto.

"You're the club mascot Naruto," Sakura grinned. "Your performance is key to the reputation of our club!"

"I'm not the mascot!" Naruto growled. Sakura pointed at the flag up on the wall.

"The flag says otherwise," Sakura grinned.

"OK, well, come on then," Tenten invited. "Time to get you weapons-savvy!"

* * *

Naruto was forced to put on his gym clothes before coming into the gymnasium where Tenten was waiting for him. There was a training mat on the floor and also a collection of various weapons. Tenten really wasn't kidding when she said she wanted to make Naruto weapons-savvy so he could fight the Zodiarts.

"OK, I know you can fight hand-to-hand, but that doesn't mean we can't expand your repertoire a little bit," said Tenten. She grabbed a shinai (bamboo sword) and tossed it to Naruto who caught it clumsily in his hand. She also picked up a spare shinai and twirled it in her grasp before facing Naruto with an eager smile. "OK, defend yourself!"

Burgermeal was watching the spar and transmitting it up to the Rabbit Hutch.

* * *

Sakura winced as she saw Naruto take a blow to the head. "Ouch, that had to hurt."

"He fell for a feint," Sasuke frowned, "And she used that to her advantage."

* * *

Tenten then decided to teach Naruto how to swing a pair of nunchucks. She did not have a flail in her collection of weapons but the nunchucks were a good enough equivalent. Both weapons relied on precise swinging or else the wielder might get hurt by their own weapon.

* * *

Tenten and Naruto sat down for a five minute break, gulping down bottles of water to rehydrate.

"So, Tenten," began Naruto. "When did you start training with weapons? You could be a master with how good you are."

"I hope to be," Tenten shrugged. "It's hard to get any kind of practice at home though. My mom and dad aren't exactly into the family traditions that I am."

"Oh?"

"Yeah, Dad's this big businessman who's always looking for the next way to get up there on the corporate ladder you know?" Tenten sighed. "Mom's a nadeshiko woman who always the perfect housewife. I'm just different..."

"Why?"

"Because of my grandfather." the bun-haired girl shrugged. "He first taught me weapons and I found that I was really good at it. So I kept training and working on my skills, learning any and all weapons I could. I want to go on the pro-circuit and all that, maybe opening a dojo at the end."

"That sounds cool," Naruto nodded. "You don't sound too excited though."

"I am. It's what I want to do," Tenten sighed. "But Mom and Dad are definitely not going to stand for it. Mom's been trying for years to try and teach me all those 'maidenly' arts that upper society families like and all that. Dad's been trying to get me interested in the sons of some of his work associates. I'm afraid if I don't play along, they'll just end up picking one and force me to marry him so they can make better business deals."

"Must be rough."

"Tell me about it, so I practice here so I can find peace," she said. "Anyway, the problem I see when you're using weapons is just that to you they're just objects. Tools."

"I guess," said Naruto.

"My grandfather taught me that a weapon is an extension of the wielder, and should be treated as part of you. When it becomes part of you, wielding it would be like stretching your own limbs," Tenten explained.

"Sounds easy enough," Naruto pondered.

"Well, in theory it does but in practice it's harder," Tenten smiled. "You need to know the weapon back and forth, you need to know it's flaws and perfections. Just knowing how to use it is not enough, but you have to accept the advantages and disadvantages of it too. That's how you make a weapon part of your own body."

"Is that how you got so good?" asked the whiskered blonde.

"The right mentality helps," Tenten tapped her head. "Even a perfect weapon can have a flaw, a flaw all weapons share."

"Which is...?"

"The wielder. The weapon is only as good as the person using it."

"Woah," Naruto blinked. He then recalled the Elek Switch and Billy the Rod. "So, if a weapon's no good, it means I'm no good. So, I need to treat my weapons like friends."

"That's a good analogy," Tenten nodded. Gulping down the rest of her water, she tossed the bottle aside, "Okay, now are you ready to continue?"

"Believe it!" Naruto laughed.

* * *

**Konoha Gakuen - Classroom**

One of the empty classrooms of Konoha Gakuen was playing host to one particular student. He was the orange-haired young man who held the Horologium Zodiarts Switch. He was in a school uniform, but he still wore his green cap and sunglasses. He was staring out the window, looking out at the sports fields where the braver members of the sports teams were trying to practice. Mizuki-sensei was barking at them, still pissed that his so-called kingdom of jocks was taking a huge hit which destabilized everything.

"Stupid moron doesn't know when to quit," the student laughed as he saw Mizuki struggling to keep his authority.

"_**The shortsighted always view only the picture as it affects them, not the scene at large.**_"

The student turned and smiled at his companions, revealing the Perseus and Andromeda Zodiarts standing in the classroom as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

"Don't they?" the student laughed. "Mizuki-sensei's so busy trying to act like a big shot and make the jocks kings he doesn't even get that he's getting busted with every try. It's only a matter of time before the teachers see the proof."

"_**No less than he deserves after his treatment of the rest of the students, especially at the hands of his little enforcers**_," Andromeda nodded. "_**I am surprised that you are the first to attack them.**_"

"Ah, if not me then it would be someone else," the student shrugged. "Stupid jocks, thinking they're special when they're just kids like the rest of us. Thinking they're so great just because they're good at a sport or two..."

Andromeda and Perseus looked to one another before nodding. Soon Horologium would join their night sky.

* * *

**Tsunade's Office**

"Anko, you know that this is a serious accusation," Tsunade frowned at her employee.

"I know, but considering I have documentation of at least this one instance and I have my business partner Ibiki looking for more," Anko sighed.

Tsunade frowned and looked at the documents that Anko had submitted to her that morning. She at first thought it was a request for more equipment or something, but instead it was a letter from Anko detailing that another of her employees Mizuki was doing under the table favours for several sports teams, trying to organize them to become his own squad of jocks. Why he would do it, Anko wasn't sure since the sports teams weren't winning too much or too little. An average season for all intents and purposes. Still, with how seriously sports associations, even for high school students took the rules the fact that Mizuki was being accused of doing favours which could be interpreted as bribes.

Tsunade asked Anko to come up to her office and explain herself. Anko did so, bringing the bills Mizuki had incurred at Area 44, paying for the party that went on there the previous night. He paid for rental, food, and extra labour for the party. Apparently he hadn't known that Anko was a partial owner of the club and thus would see expense reports even if she left that to her partner Ibiki.

"Mizuki-sensei has been warned several times about the conduct of his team in the past," Shizune frowned. Opening a file she brought to the meeting, she revealed several complaint forms and disciplinary notices. "The football team in particular has been disciplined several times in the past for behavioural misconduct. Although he has spoken in their defence often and argued their cases, Mizuki seems to always have an explanation as to why his team acted the way they did."

Tsunade checked the contents of the file. Shizune was right. Whenever the jocks acted up, Mizuki would immediately make excuses for them to avoid them getting punished. He justified that his sports team needed high spirits and couldn't be demoralized with punishment for minor infractions. If they broke any rules, Mizuki would cover for them. There were complaints but no proof. As much as everyone knew that the jocks were responsible, without proof they couldn't be fairly punished without someone kicking up a fuss. Tsunade knew that, Shizune knew that, and unfortunately Mizuki knew that too.

"It seems that Mizuki-sensei has a lot to answer for," said Tsunade. "Even if this is something innocent such as celebrating a victory, the fact that he's doing such lengths for his team is clearly a cause for concern. A lot of sports organizations are going to want an investigation."

"So what do we do then?" asked Anko.

"You are going to keep looking for more of Mizuki spending money on his team he shouldn't be," Tsunade replied. "Shizune, try to see if he has been spending his team's budget on anything but equipment and other supplies for the team."

"Yes Ma'am," Shizune nodded, closing the file.

Anko wanted to report on what she had been told by Naruto about the newest monster that was ripping up the campus. Of course, Tsunade would have been likely to go on a literal warpath like she had super strength if she found out her godson was off fighting those things. The fit she had in her office when she was told Naruto got his ass kicked by that dolphin one was bad enough and rumour said that the busty principal drank herself into a sobbing stupor over 'letting her little Naru-chan get hurt.' Tsunade was if nothing else a dedicated godmother when she was allowed to be considering her position. That aside, Anko's story of the kid taking on actual monsters was kind of fantastic and not even a drunk Tsunade would believe it. She was still of the mind that they were vandalists in costumes. It was the only argument people would believe and Anko knew she had no proof so she let it be.

"Once Ibiki finds something, you'll know it," Anko nodded.

"Good," Tsunade nodded. "Now I'm sure you have some work to do still."

"Sure do," Anko saluted and headed out. After Anko left, Tsunade slumped in her seat, her face hidden behind her hands.

"First these costumed lunatics and now one of our teachers may be corrupt and trying to steer the direction of our sports season," Tsunade grumbled.

"I just don't understand why he's going to such effort to make so many connections and make the teams so subservient when he hasn't done anything aside from letting them run wild whenever they wanted," Shizune frowned.

"Well, if he isn't planning to win big by gambling on the big games coming up, then he's sucking up to the big names coming onto the team," Tsunade rubbed her forehead. "Lots of connections are made between families when they join those popular sports, especially if they're good at it. Close teammates stick together even after graduation. So if they remember their coach..."

"They'd be willing to do him a favour or two, or maybe even introduce him to some people who wouldn't mind schmoozing with him and help him advance a little, being the man who helped make the new generation big names who they are," Shizune frowned, the idea dawning on her.

"Exactly," Tsunade nodded. "Nothing wrong with dropping a name or two, but bribes and favouritism are something that we cannot allow."

"Then what do you think these recent attacks on the sports teams are?" asked Shizune.

"I have a few guesses," Tsunade sighed. "Mainly, this is all just be payback against Mizuki or his jocks. I think he's driven someone who hates them so far that they decide to take their revenge."

"Could it be one of our students?" Shizune asked.

"Who else would hold a grudge?" Tsunade questioned rhetorically. Whoever it was, the answer would be in the file. "I have a lot of paperwork to do..."

She hated paperwork, but it was part of the job, and she couldn't drink sake on the job either.

* * *

**Rabbit Hutch**

The room was more or less quiet as the members of the Kamen Rider Club went about their after school activities. Sakura was having Potekochin go through what looked like an obstacle course made up out of school supplies. Hinata was enjoying the scenery of the moon while she read a short novel to pass the time. Sasuke was still holed up trying to calibrate the Elek Switch properly, but to his growing frustration he couldn't find anything that was wrong with it. Even the computers he connected the Switch to were saying that it was functioning normally.

"Trust the dobe to make things complicated," Sasuke muttered under his breath.

"Go Potekochin-kun! You're so close to beating your old record!" Sakura smiled as she cheered her little creation on. The fry-like machine squeaked as it vigorously pulled itself up the stairway of books the pinkette had pulled together.

Hinata was getting to a good part of her book when the door to the Rabbit Hutch opened. Stumbling through was Naruto, looking like he had run through a marathon. Stumbling over to the main table he sat down and let his head rest on it's surface. Potekochin apparently though he was a new obstacle and began climbing up his hair as if it were a rope, hopping onto his head with a victorious squeak.

"Ano...are you okay Naruto-kun?" asked Hinata uncertainly.

"Fine," the blonde mumbled back. "Need ramen. Training with Tenten-chan is brutal."

"Well, it's better than crotching yourself in the middle of a fight," Sakura offered, plucking the Foodroid off of Naruto's head.

"Yeah..." Naruto agreed. He managed not to do that again, but he did accidentally smack his own forehead with those nunchucks. At least Tenten didn't laugh at him and said that was a common mistake a lot of people made when they weren't paying attention to what they were doing.

"Are you getting better at using weapons?" Hinata asked.

"Actually, I have a new appreciation for them, thanks to Tenten-chan's philosophy," grinned Naruto. "Oi, Sasuke, how's the Elek Switch?"

"Fine despite how much you say otherwise," Sasuke replied, reluctantly coming out of his workspace. Holding the switch, he tossed it over to Naruto where it landed on the table next to his head. "Now stop goofing up with it and maybe we can have it work right."

"Eh, I got a plan for that," Naruto smiled, taking hold of the Switch. "You just get ready to be amazed when you see when I show off what I learned!"

"Whatever," Sasuke shook his head. "Our last lead on this Zodiarts has crapped out so do we have any other sort of plan on how to hunt this guy down?"

"Well that's obvious, isn't it?" asked Sakura. "He's going after the sports team. We just go keep an eye on the teams for anyone suspicious while we try to dig up more clues."

"Most of the team members are hiding though," Naruto mumbled. "A lot of them were gone from school today. This guy might try going all over town to find them if he's twisted enough by the Switch."

"W-well, if this person has a personal grudge against the sports teams, maybe he was involved in an incident with one of them?" suggested Hinata.

"If that's true, then it would probably be the football team," Sasuke crossed his arms, leaning against a wall. "Not a week goes by when there isn't someone from that team causing trouble. What was it this week, one of them got caught stuffing freshmen in a washroom stall tied with duct tape?"

"No, that was last week," Sakura shook her head. "This week was several of them being accused to taping a student high up on the walls and taped his mouth shut so no one would notice him unless they looked up."

"I thought they plastic-wrapped a teacher's car?" asked Hinata.

"Hold on," Naruto frowned. "Didn't the whole team nearly get suspended or something when they went to Nadeshiko City to play that exhibition game and supposedly they pooled their cash together to hire strippers or something?"

"That was months ago," Sasuke shook his head. "Besides, prostitution and strippers and stuff like that is illegal in Nadeshiko City. Probably why such a fuss was kicked up about that though. The women in that place have a lot of pride."

"Well with all the crap those guys pull and get away with, there's no way to tell who's got the Switch and trying to hunt them down," Naruto grumbled, sitting back on his chair. "I said it before: Everyone hates them. I'm pretty sure everyone would have lynched them by now if they weren't so big and muscled already." He stated, "I'm gonna go ask Kiba. He should know who has the most beef against those jocks."

"Are you sure he can help?" asked Sakura.

"He's never failed me before. If it's happening in the city or school, Kiba knows about it," said Naruto. "Even something like this wouldn't be able to escape his notice." Groaning as he got to his feet, Naruto headed back out to make his call to his kind of savage friend.

* * *

**Inuzuka Veterinary Clinic - Kiba's Room**

If there was ever a room that could defined as an animal's pen then it would be Kiba Inuzuka's room. It had the necessities, the closet, bed, dresser, and a light but that was all that could make it a room. Everything was covered in clothes, both clean and dirty with only Kiba knowing which was which. Off in the corner was the only clean area which was a large dog's pillow. Resting on it was of course a large white dog with brown ears. this was Kiba's own proclaimed best friend Akamaru, a dog his mother had given him when he was young. The two were as thick as thieves and were only separated when it came to school, not that Kiba didn't try to sneak the dog in during his younger years.

Kiba was kicking back on his bed, texting some friends and hearing some of the latest gossip and making a few snide remarks in turn. He was considering heading out to the new karaoke place that opened up with all of the hot girls who worked there when his phone rang, indicating a call.

Hitting the talk button, he brought it to his ear, "Yo. Got Kiba."

"_Hey Kiba, it's Naruto._"

"Oh hey man," Kiba grinned. "So did you decide to crash the jocks' party? I heard it went to hell in a handbasket when that monster showed up to kick some ass again. Hearing those assholes screaming like babies would have been music to my ears."

"_Yeah I was there. You could have mentioned Anko-sensei was a partial owner to the place though!_" Naruto's voice snapped.

"No shit? Anko-sensei owns part of Area 44?" Kiba turned pale. "Oh shit. I've been hitting on the female staff there whenever a student party opens up!" His mind flashed to the punishment Anko gave him for trying to peep, making him whimper in fear.

"_Hey, relive the trauma another time! I need some more info,_" Naruto snapped a second time. "_I'm starting to think that this monster has something to do with some of the shit that the football team pulls on the other students. My problem is that they do so much crap I can't think of anything specific that would set someone off._"

"Naruto, you're not thinking of taking this thing on are you?" Kiba frowned. "Have you forgotten what that other one did to you when you tried to pick a fight with it? You wanna turn your little lady into a widow without making her a woman? Hell, can you imagine the warpath Principal Tsunade would go on if she heard you took on another of those things?"

"_Okay, first of all Hinata-chan and I are __just __friends. Second of all I'm not going to just go up and fight this thing. I want to find out why it's going postal!_" Naruto snapped. Kiba frowned though, knowing that Naruto was hiding something. Maybe he already banged Hinata? She wasn't stuttering around him as far as he knew. He also knew that when Naruto wanted to do something, not a whole lot could stop him.

"Fine," the feral teen finally sighed. "If this thing is related to some stupid stunt those apes pulled then it's probably going to be a recent one."

"_Is it something to do with that stunt they tried in Nadeshiko City?_" asked Naruto suddenly.

"Nah. Not for lack of trying though but those chicks are hardcore man. Trust me. I've tried dating a few," Kiba sighed. "No, if I had to guess then it was probably something that has to do with a prank that happened about...likely when the new semester began. Remember when the jocks were running around the school pulling pranks on all the freshmen like some stupid fraternity?"

"_Yeah. A few of them tried to jump me. Kicked their asses though,_" Naruto replied. "_Pranked the rest of them too. Amateurs._"

"Yeah, well, at least your pranks don't end up hurting people," Kiba sighed. "Those jocks pulled a downright awful prank and ended up putting a kid in the hospital."

"_Really? Damn, I never heard about that,_" Naruto gasped.

"Well, people say Mizuki-sensei helped cover the thing up and those guys' parents paid for the hospital bills in return for shutting up," Kiba sighed. "If I were that guy I'd be pissed that my parents took some hush money instead of making those dickheads pay, but that's me."

"_So, you got the kid's name?"_ Naruto asked. _"He should be out of the hospital, by now."_

"That I don't have," Kiba sighed. "He's been off the radar since it happened and no one's really sure who he is in the first place. You know how the freshmen tend to be invisible until they find a spot for themselves. I think this guy was afraid to come back on top of that."

"_Well, could you do me a favor and find out as much as you can?_" Naruto requested.

"I could, but it will cost you," said Kiba.

"_Oh great. Okay, what do you want?_" Naruto sighed.

"Well, if you could probably get me a copy of one of your godfather's books..."

"_That? You want that? Seriously?"_

"Yeah, dude! They don't sell those to minors and I heard they're great! Plus, I don't feel good charging a buddy of mine money. So, whaddya say?"

"_Fine!_" Naruto grumbled. "_But it's your ass if Ero-sennin finds out I gave it to you!_"

"Heh, if he's as pervy as you say he'd probably like a junior fan like me," Kiba grinned. "Anyway, let me call up my friends and see if we can't find this guy you're looking for."

"_Sure. Thanks Kiba,_" Naruto replied before ending the conversation. Kiba followed suit only to begin dialling up some of his other friends to see what they knew about that unfortunately prank.

"Don't do anything stupid Naruto," he grumbled under his breath. He knew his friend wouldn't ignore something like this. His friend was an idealistic idiot, but a good guy nonetheless.

* * *

Kiba managed to get the name of the kid who got sent to the hospital due to the jocks' prank going too far. Once Kiba sent him the message, he returned to the Rabbit Hutch feeling rather pissed.

"What's got you so pissed off?" asked Sasuke bluntly, seeing how Naruto was scowling on his arrival.

"Hearing about the crap that Mizuki-sensei lets the football team get away with," Naruto frowned, retaking his seat. "Do any of you remember that pranking spree they went on against the freshmen at the beginning of the year?"

"I thought that was you," Sasuke commented.

"Nah. I came in late and only pranked the football team," Naruto shook his head.

"The f-first few days were...wild, but Neji-niisan kept me from being exposed to anything that would hurt me," Hinata offered.

"I wasn't paying too much attention personally," Sakura admitted.

"Well, if what Kiba said is true then we have a lead on who might want to crush the football teams and anyone who backs them up," Naruto huffed. "Those meatheads put someone in the hospital with one of their pranks. Kiba said he might have been too afraid to come back to school until now."

"Oh my..." Hinata gasped.

"Okay, that's just too far," Sakura hissed. "How the heck did they get away with that without anyone hearing about it? Principal Tsunade would have chewed out the whole school for the prank war if she found out."

"Mizuki-sensei and the parents of some of the team members," Sasuke frowned. "Likely he warned them about what was going to happen and they paid up to have his parents keep the kid quiet."

"So Principal Tsunade wouldn't know about this?" asked Hinata.

"Baa-chan wouldn't ever turn her back on something like this no matter what kind of rich family tried to make her do that," Naruto shook his head.

"So who is the guy?" asked Sasuke.

"His name's Doshin," Naruto replied. "He hasn't been to school for months and Kiba thinks he may have been in therapy for a while considering what happened to him."

"So, he's our prime suspect then," Sasuke concluded. "Did your dog-lover friend tell you where to find the guy?"

"He hangs out at the arcade district a lot," Naruto replied. "Likely one of the last places a jock would go."

"Not unless it has games with near-naked women in it," Sasuke replied. "Those guys only ever think about food and girls." That was true. Sasuke didn't associate with those gorillas but he knew about them. It was hard not to when you were on a sports team and they seemed to think that meant you were friends.

"So we go hunting then?" asked Sakura.

"Of course," Naruto nodded. "This guy needs some serious help and that Zodiarts Switch is not making the situation better. It's just making things worse and turning him into a monster the more he uses it."

It was a notion the rest of the club agreed with, even if it was reluctant on Sasuke's part.

* * *

**Konohagakure - Arcade District**

The arcade district was just what it was titled to be. It was the centre for the entertainment coming from all things digital and electronics. Plenty of gadget and video game stores were there, visited often by the students and teenagers of the city looking for the newest phone, game, or game system.

It was the area Tenten was walking through as she headed back home for the day. She felt rather invigorated after training Naruto in the kinds of weapons he would be using as Fourze. It was more of a thrill than just helping her underclassmen get their stances right. Perhaps it was knowing that her lessons were going to be put to use in actual battle that was to save lives. That gave her a bit of pride in her abilities as a weapons user as well as a teacher.

'_Maybe this really is my calling,_' Tenten smiled to herself, hefting her bag of weapons over her shoulders. '_Now maybe that archery set I was looking at is in?_' Tenten's favoured shortcut to the sporting district where archery, kendo swords, and other tools were sold. Needless to say, Tenten was a familiar face to a lot of the shop owners there.

Walking down the streets, Tenten didn't notice that someone had spotted her and had began to follow. His bright orange hair stood out, but it was hidden behind his green cap and his eyes were concealed by his sunglasses.

"Jock-bitch," he snarled, slowly beginning to follow her through the streets. His hands were kept deep in his pockets, like he was hiding something important and didn't want to lose contact with it.

"Just you wait," he growled.

* * *

The Kamen Rider Club (and Sasuke) arrived at the arcade district to it's bright lights and loud noises made to distract everyone and pull in customers. Sasuke merely scoffed at the irritants while Sakura and Naruto took them in stride. Hinata found herself easily distracted by the cute anime characters though. Being the sheltered rich girl she was, she wasn't exposed to mass media too often so she just couldn't help but keep noticing it.

"This is your stomping ground Dobe," Sasuke spoke. "Where do we look first?"

"Probably the actual arcades instead of the stores," Naruto shrugged, scratching his head. "That or the places to eat."

"So let's split up and look then," Sakura suggested. "Me and Sasuke-kun will go our way and you and Hinata can go yours."

"Sure," Naruto nodded. "Let's find this guy before he finds something else to go off on."

Ensuring they could stay in contact with one another, the two groups split in their own directions to try and hunt down Doshin and take the Zodiarts Switch away from him before he ended up killing somebody.

* * *

Naruto and Hinata began exploring the arcade district looking for any sign of Doshin hanging around. Naruto knew what he looked like, so finding a guy wearing a green cap wouldn't be all that difficult. Well, provided that he kept the cap anyway. Hinata was still finding herself distracted by the images sights, and sounds of the district that an upper-class girl wouldn't usually see. The cosplayers in front of some of the places to advertise a special product or opening made her blush. Naruto was used to the sights and didn't bat an eye, still he did notice Hinata's discomfort.

"Hey Hinata-chan, you feeling okay?" he asked, noticing how she seemed uncomfortable.

"H-hai!" Hinata nodded. "I-it's nothing."

"You sure? You're turning red," Naruto commented. "Maybe we should find a place for you to sit down and rest."

"I-I'm fine! really!" Hinata insisted. She didn't want to disrupt the search simply because she felt a little uncomfortable around all the action going on or embarrassed at seeing such skimpy and/or colourful costumes worn by the girls outside some of the shops as they held up signs.

"I don't know..." Naruto frowned. He honestly thought that Hinata wasn't feeling all that good...the naive boy. The lights, sounds, advertising, and even the cosplayers were nothing new to him. Now if there was a ramen stand with such advertising, you'd need the jaws of life to get him away but otherwise it was nothing new.

Hinata was ready to insist further that she was fine, a back alley exploded, sending dust and debris flying everywhere. Tenten was flung out, screaming, her weapons scattered all over the ground. Stepping out and causing a panic with his appearance was the Horologium Zodiarts.

"_Now, time to teach you stupid jocks not to mess with me anymore!"__s_houted the Zodiarts as he prepared to kill Tenten with his talons. However, before he could, he was struck in the side by a kick, courtesy of Naruto.

"Tenten-san, you OK?" asked Hinata, running to the bruised girl's side.

"More or less, but my pride sure took a hit," Tenten grumbled. Shaking her head, she looked up to see who was helping her. "Huh? Hinata-san?"

The Horologium Zodiarts grunted and got his bearings back before staring down Naruto, "_You again. Don't you ever quit? I figured the school delinquent wouldn't have cared about what happened to the jocks!_"

"The football team and some of the others might be dicks, but not all of them are," Naruto frowned. "Tenten-chan didn't deserve to be attacked like that! Lots of the teams don't have anything to do with Mizuki-sensei, Doshin! They don't deserve to get attacked so savagely!"

Horologium snarled and held out his hand, making a motion of pushing a button before vanishing, revealing the teenage form of Doshin, orange hair, sunglasses, and hat. He was frowning deeply. Were his sunglasses not covering them, Naruto was sure that he would have been made victim of a piercing, laser-like stare.

"They all deserve it! After what they did to me, they all deserve it!" Doshin snapped. "I was humiliated! Do you know what they did to me? Those testosterone-addicts hunted me down in the halls and stripped me down before taping me to a goalpost! No one even knew I was gone! If Iruka-sensei hadn't found me I would have been there for everyone to laugh at!"

"So you got all bent out of shape for a prank? Even one that hurt?"

Doshin turned around, spotting Sasuke and Sakura arriving on the scene, drawn in by the noises of the Zodiarts attack.

"Sasuke, you're not helping!" Naruto snapped. Sasuke's bluntness was the last thing they needed and had he forgotten about the hospital trip Doshin needed? Then again, Doshin didn't look all that bad...

"Heh! Figures the Kendo captain would side with his fellow jocks," Doshin snarled. Reaching to his button up shirt, he tore it open, "Do you call _THIS_ a little prank?-!"

Sakura, Hinata, and Tenten gasped in shock and even Naruto and Sasuke who had seen their share of fights and violence had to wince at the sight. Across Doshin's chest were several strips of scar tissue that wrapped around his torso. They were perfectly rectangular, matching lengths of tape if one wanted to make a comparison.

"Oh my god!" Sakura gasped.

"I was left out there for over an hour! I was there so long the tape adhered to my skin!" Doshin snarled. "Iruka-sensei had to call an ambulance to get me to the hospital so they could remove it! Even trying to freeze it off left gashes on me! Those jocks put me through this because they thought it was _FUNNY!_"

The Kamen Rider Club could only stare at the scars, hearing Doshin rant. They had thought that a prank went wrong and maybe made an injury like a broken bone or something. This...this was just pure neglect and possibly even torture. And Mizuki-sensei helped cover this up? What was he letting them get away with?

"And did those assholes even get punished?" Doshin snarled. "No! Mizuki-sensei just warned their parents and they bribed my parents to keep quiet and pay my hospital bills! I was terrified of even coming back to school because I was afraid they'd do it again!" He gripped his Horologium Switch. "With this, I never have to be afraid again! Once I tear through those stupid jocks who think they're such hot shit, no one will have to be afraid of them again!"

The Switch suddenly warped, transforming into a spiked and red form, "**Last One!**"

"No! Don't do it!" screamed Sakura.

Doshin was in no state to listen.

***CLICK!***

Doshin's body vanished into the dark void where the Horologium constellation appeared. Falling from the void was Doshin's body, wrapped in strange webbing. The void swallowed the stars, forming the Horologium Zodiarts once again.

Snarling, the Zodiarts clenched his fist which had a strange violet energy begin surrounding it. Snarling, he threw the energy at Naruto who rolled to the side. The energy flew onward, hitting a plastic statue of an anime character. Once hit, the statue collapsed into dust, aged into nothing.

"Holy shit!" Tenten gaped. "Could he do that before?"

"O-Only when in a special area," Hinata trembled. "H-He d-doesn't need to designate an area anymore to do it."

"_**No one will be afraid of the jocks again!**_" Horologium growled. "_**Because I'll make sure that there are none left!**_"

Naruto stood up with a frown, "It wasn't right what happened to you man, but this isn't going to make it better," he drew the Fourze Driver and strapped it his waist, hitting the activation switches. "But I'm going to have to beat that into you."

"**THREE!**"

"**TWO!**"

"**ONE!**"

"Henshin!" Hitting the Enter Lever, Naruto vanished in a pillar of white light before emerging as Kamen Rider Fourze once again. He punched his fist into the air, "UCHU KITA DATTEBAYO~!" Staring down the Zodiarts, he pointed at him, "Kamen Rider Fourze is back! Let's do this man to man!"

"_**God you're annoying!**_" Horologium howled, charging at Fourze with his talons ready.

Sasuke and Sakura moved to a safer spot as Hinata and Tenten moved to join them. Sakura activated Burgermeal to take in the fight while Sasuke got his Astroswitch Caban activated to scan the new Zodiarts.

"Seems like he's able to affect time without having to designate an area anymore," he muttered. "He can age things into dust and maybe even reduce age into infancy or something."

"Can you find the Switch?" asked Sakura.

"Scanning for it now," said Sasuke as he tapped the keys to initiate the full body scan on the Zodiarts to locate the Zodiarts Switch. It would be located in one of the star marks on the Zodiarts' body.

"But didn't you say beating this thing when it's in that Last One thing would make them go off like a couple of pounds of dynamite?" asked Tenten.

"It'll be fine if the Dobe pulls it off right," said Sasuke.

"_**CHAIN-AR-RAY-ON!**_"

"Take...THIS!" Fourze swung and smashed the Chain Array module's spiked ball into the Zodiarts' face, sending him staggering back in pain. Fourze swung the spiked ball over his head and then shot his arm forward for another hit. The spiked ball bounce back and Fourze pulled his arm to spin it around before jumping up to swing down and smash the spiked ball down on the top of the Zodiarts' head.

"Guess all that practice with the nunchucks paid off!" grinned Fourze.

"_**Why you!**_" the Zodiarts launched another time ray and Fourze leapt out of the way. It hit a signboard which turned to dust on contact.

"Damn, can't get hit by that thing!" If the fight went on, then the entire district could get aged into dust. Knowing this, Fourze shouted at Sasuke, "Sasuke, toss me the Elek Switch!"

Sasuke wasn't about to argue and grabbed the Switch before tossing it Fourze who caught it. He turned off the Chain Array Switch and removed it. Holding the yellow Switch, Fourze remembered Tenten's advice about using weapons."Alright, Elek Switch! I wasn't being a good wielder or friend before, ignoring you like I did. But it's different now! Now, let's work together, OK?" He inserted the Elek Switch in its proper slot place before switching it on.

"**E-LEK-ON!"**

The same thing as before happened as Fourze's right arm turned gold and Billy the Rod occupied his right hand. But then, something else happened as Fourze's body began shining gold, crackling with electricity.

"That's impossible," uttered Sasuke as he read the scans on the Elek Switch and the Fourze System.

A set of circles formed from the lightning and attached themselves to Fourze's body and the light faded to reveal Fourze, completely changed. His entire suit had turned golden save for his boots and left gauntlet. In the centre of his chest was a black lightning bolt that stood out like an insignia. On either side of his chest, on his shoulders, and on his back were circular electric generators that quietly hummed with power. His helmet had likewise turned gold with a black face styled like a lightning blast. The wings on either side had curved, turning aerodynamic and his eyes had turned a stormy blue.

"Fourze...changed..." said Hinata in surprise. "Is it supposed to change like that?"

"The data mentioned a States change ability," recalled Sakura. "But we hadn't had much of an idea how to do that."

"Kamen Rider Fourze: Elek States!" declared Fourze. Taking the plug, he inserted it into the left socket. "Now, let's try this again! Man to man!" Fourze lunged at the Horologium Zodiarts, blasted forwards by his jetpack and he swung Billy the Rod like a sword. The Zodiarts dodged but Fourze followed up with a horizontal slash across the Zodiarts' body. Electricity crackled and Horologium cried out in pain as he stumbled away, but unlike before Fourze didn't seem to be any worse off.

"All right! I knew it would work!" Fourze cheered. Before he had only used Elek like a tool and he didn't have much of an idea how to use it right. With Tenten's lessons, he learned to accept all aspects of any weapon he used and see it as a part of him rather than just something to hold and use. With that mindset, Elek's full power was unleashed.

Horologium snarled and charged again, Fourze retaliating. Parrying several of the blows with Billy the Rod, Fourze struck back with several strikes which made more electricity crackle with the contact.

"The way he's fighting...It's like kendo," Sasuke blinked, glancing at Tenten. "You must be a damn miracle worker."

"He's not that bad, just a diamond in the rough," Tenten rolled her eyes. "You just don't give him enough credit when it comes to fighting."

Fourze rolled underneath another blow before placing the plug on his sword inside of the top socket. Getting to his knees, he stabbed into the air which shot several pulses of electricity. The strikes aimed true, blasting with showers of sparks against the Zodiarts' hide, making him scream in pain and stumble even further back. With some breathing space, Fourze stood up and plugged into the right socket. Gripping Billy the Rod, he swung wide into the air. This tie, three streams of electricity crackled through the air before wrapping around the Horologium Zodiarts and pinning him in place.

"_**You...you...!**_" Horologium snarled.

"Sorry man, but this is for your own good," Fourze sighed. "Sasuke, where's the Switch?"

"It's in the gem on his hip!" Sasuke called back. "You've got him pinned so just end it already!"

"Right!" Fourze nodded. He was about to shut down the Elek Switch when his HUD suddenly lit up with new information on Billy the Rod. When the data ended, a big portion of it lit up as if to emphasize a point. "Woah, it does that?"

"N-Naruto?" murmured Hinata, seeing Fourze suddenly stand still.

Fourze grabbed the Elek Switch without turning it off and removed it from the Driver's socket. Rather than Elek States shutting down, it remained functioning. Taking the Switch, Fourze plugged it into the handle of Billy the Rod before plugging into the left socket again.

"_**LIMIT BREAK!**_"

Fourze lifted up his weapon which surged to life with raw electricity running through it, looking like he was wielding raw lighting instead of a solid weapon. He then moved into a set stance, the running charge that Tenten taught him.

"Dobe, what are you doing?-!" Sasuke cried, seeing that Fourze was going to attack.

"Naruto! You need to take him into space first! He'll explode and destroy everything if you attack here!" Sakura cried.

"Relax! I got it covered!" Fourze called back. Looking at the bound Zodiarts, he began his charge. The electricity became much more fierce than before, glowing vibrantly and crackling like a storm compressed into such a thin form. Fourze ran across the distance, stral volts striking the area around him as he got closer. "RIDER TEN-BILLION VOLT BREAK!"

"NOOOO!" Sasuke and Sakura shouted, attempting to make him stop.

"HYAH!" Fourze yelled, slashing Horologium through the waist, striking the Switch in the process inside of his body. The Zodiarts screamed in pain as the yellow line indicated the clean electric cut that sliced through his body. The electricity visibly raced through his body before converging into the cut once again, actually engulfing the Switch inside of his body with the energy as it reached critical mass.

***BOOM!***

The Horologium Zodiarts exploded as expected. However, the explosion wasn't as massive as the four students feared it would be. It was actually the same size as it would have been expected to be if it were an underpowered Zodiarts. The blackened spot where it had been crackled with golden electricity, remains from Fourze's attack.

Fourze turned around, but then looked up when he saw something falling from the sky. Quickly running underneath it, he caught it to reveal the Horologium Switch. Nodding, he tapped the button and caused the object to flash with purple power and implode in on itself. "Not bad."

The four students blinked when they realized that the entire area hadn't been leveled in a massive explosion. Tenten checked her body to see that other than being a little bruised, she was still alive and well, "We're not all dead?"

Sakura checked herself and found that she was alive too. Once that was done, she began to scowl as a dark aura enveloped her, "NNNNNNAAAAARUUUUUTOOOOOOO!"

"Uh..." Fourze winced, hearing that tone of voice. "Okay, Sakura-chan-!"

"YOU COULD HAVE GOTTEN US ALL KILLED, BAKA!" the pinkette shrieked, running up to Fourze before punching him over the head with enough force to flatten him onto the ground. "WHY DID YOU EVEN DO SOMETHING LIKE THAT? YOU KNOW ZODIARTS EXPLODE LIKE A BIG PILE OF DYNAMITE WHEN THEY'RE IN A LAST ONE STATE!"

"But...but...my suit said it wouldn't do that," Fourze grumbled. "The electricity from my attack would mess with the reaction that makes a Last One explode like bombs and make it a lot smaller!"

"Huh?" Sakura blinked. "Elek States can do that?"

"It's electricity so he energy output must've suppressed the explosion by disrupting the chain reaction that causes a Last One Zodiarts to explode, drastically reducing the explosion," Sasuke frowned. "Seriously Dobe, you've got the devil's luck or something."

"Yeah. Baa-chan says that too," Fourze grumbled, standing up before shutting down the Fourze Driver, banishing the suit and equipment. "What happened to Doshin?"

A soft sob announced the orange-haired boy's presence. He was where he landed before but was conscious again. He was crying and Hinata was at his side with Tenten, rubbing his back. his mind was back to normal, but it seemed all of his emotional damage was coming back to him without the Switch to stave it off. It was a rather pathetic sight, but it served to drive home just how damaged Doshin was thanks to the rather cruel prank that the football team had played on him.

"I just...I just wanted to stop being afraid!" he cried.

Naruto sighed at the sight while Sasuke scoffed. The blonde shot a look at the last Uchiha before headed to where Doshin lay to try and offer him some comfort.

"Hey man," Naruto sighed, helping Doshin sit up. "What those dicks did to you was beyond wrong. Mizuki-sensei also shouldn't have covered it up just because he wanted to keep his gorilla gang. I know Baa-chan though. We can go directly to her and tell her what happened and maybe we can at least give those dicks some payback. They're not getting away with this anymore."

Doshin looked up, "Wh-what?"

"We'll go directly to Tsunade and deal with what happened to you the right way," Naruto smiled. "She doesn't just let things like this happen and we'll make sure it won't happen again. Promise!"

Hinata smiled as she watched Naruto try to bring some measure of justice to what had happened to Doshin. Naruto wasn't the kind of person who let bad things happened to people when he could do something about it. If what happened to Doshin was any indication, then it was long overdue that something be done about Mizuki. Likely things would get messy with how Mizuki was likely connected to some rich families through his players. It would possibly be a political storm.

An Naruto was just the person to kick up the storm.

* * *

**Konoha Gakuen**

A few days passed since the last attack and the sports teams began to trickle back into the school, feeling that they were safe again. For the most part, it seemed like life had returned to normal at the upscale school.

Mizuki was on the sports field, smirking as he saw his boys going on strong, ready to make their coach proud as more games approached. He had seen some possible new recruits in the freshmen and in that exhibition game with the regular students. A few kind words and offer to do some favours and he'd make the team even better than before and make a whole slew of new connections. By the time he would retire, he'd be living on the easy street, coasting on the connections of so many of his former students who saw him as the one who made them what they were.

'_Now if only we could beat that monster into a pulp,_' Mizuki thought to himself, still angry at the beating his boys' reputation took. Without the students fearing them, they wouldn't have the status or respect they deserved. It would take time for everyone to forget about that embarrassing event.

"Mizuki-sensei."

The silver-haired coach turned to see Tsunade's secretary approaching him, holding some files of some sort. Putting on a smile, Mizuki gave her his full attention, "Hello Shizune-san, how can I help you?"

"The principal would like to have words with you concerning some information that she's had brought to her attention," Shizune replied evenly. "Immediately."

'_Tsk!_' Mizuki thought internally. As hot at Tsunade was, Mizuki never liked the old bag. She never cut anybody except Naruto a break and even then it was barely calling it a break. Mizuki learned real fast that sweet-talking her never worked. So when he had to cover for his boys, he had to act like a defence lawyer with a silver tongue, downplaying any evidence and playing up any gaps in a story. Tsunade may not have bought his stories hook, line, and sinker but she didn't have any solid evidence of his team messing about. At least his boys could clean up after themselves.

"Alright," he nodded. "I'll be right there."

What was the worst she could say?

* * *

Sasuke sighed as he headed for the Rabbit Hutch after a meeting of the kendo club. He had to scold his team on running away after the monster attack and missing a practice. Entering the equipment shed, he made a beeline for the locker portal. After a quick walk through the portal, he emerged into the Rabbit Hutch...

...to see Tenten sitting at the table polishing a set of ornate kunai.

"What are _you _doing here?" Sasuke frowned.

"Oh, I decided to join the Kamen Rider Club," Tenten smiled. "Naruto's training isn't complete yet and you guys are going to build more Switches right? So Naruto's going to need training to use the weapons right. That's where I come in." She lifted a sheet of paper which was a club application form. A big red '**OK**' was written on the top...that looked like Sakura's handwriting. "See? I'm approved and everything!"

Sasuke grit his teeth, "This is not-!"

"Hey Sasuke, you here?" called Naruto, coming into the main room. "Guess what! Tenten-chan's joined the club! Now we got five members!"

"Dobe, I told you-!" Sasuke frowned.

"Okay, I think I've got a club events schedule organized," Sakura spoke, coming from the equipment room. She had a bunch of papers in her hand and she was chewing on a pencil like an office lady. "Monday, Wednesday, and Friday we go for developing Switches, equipment, or other things we might need. Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday are training days with Tenten for Fourze's fighting abilities as well as testing any new tactics."

"What about Sunday?" asked Hinata, revealing herself at a computer console, reading through files on the Zodiarts, Fourze, and the Astro Switches.

"Anything that may come up," Sakura shrugged.

Sasuke gaped at the scene, watching the others actually treating their group like it was an actual school club and their battles with the Zodiarts were schoolyard rumbles. He looked over to Naruto, the one who first pitched the idea. Sasuke's glare just screamed 'I want to set you on fire so bad right now,' but naturally Naruto didn't notice.

"But Sakura-chan, that leaves me with no free time!" Naruto whined. "What about visiting Ichiraku?"

"Sorry Naruto, president's orders," Sakura winked. "So as mascot you've got to obey."

"But I don't wanna be the mascot," Naruto grumbled. "The club was my idea. Why can't I be president?"

Sasuke felt his temper simmer and decided to just go read up on more Switches so he could ignore the world and all of the stupid people in it.

Another normal day in the Rabbit Hutch.

**To Be Continued...**

A/N: Well, another chapter down and we see the end of the Horologium Zodiarts. We also see Tenten joining the club as the weapons expert and Naruto's trainer in all things weapons related. And what's going to happen to Mizuki and the football team now that some of their dirty laundry became known to the Kamen Rider Club?


End file.
